Finding Home
by stardust123987
Summary: Maggie Brady isn't quite sure where she belongs. But when she finds herself far from anything she thinks she knows and finally finds friends, a purpose, and the feeling of home, can she keep it? Maggie has to navigate her way and learns that sometimes to find yourself, you have to let others in too. Bit of AU for timelines and changing events to fit a little better. CA:TFA
1. Chapter 1

Hi there! This is a story that has been in my head for a while and I wanted to get it down now. I own nothing but my OC. No copyright infringement is intended, I just love the Marvel Universe and am trying my hand... Not everything is perfect within the Marvel timeline, but I tried to line it up for the most part before it goes more AU. Hope you enjoy!

PS, also trigger warning about death and suicide in this chapter.

* * *

**_December 2011:_**

Maggie returned from school to find another bill in the mailbox that she wasn't looking forward to paying.

After the death of her parents, she had been able to get the help of a few of her dad's friends to sell the family house, but they learned there was a second mortgage on it and it had taken most of the accounts in her parents name to clear that as well as some other debt they had incurred over the years. In the end she was left with enough money to live for a couple of years and maybe help a bit with college. But she still had a few part time jobs on top of going to high school.

Maggie sighed and grabbed the envelope before locking the box back up.

She trudged up the 3 floors and got to her one bedroom apartment. It wasn't much, and she still didn't consider it home. But it was a place to stay until she could finish high school.

Her parents had both gone to college at well-known state schools, but Maggie had the drive since middle school to go to Columbia. After her parents went to school in Minnesota, they stayed in the same small town once they got married and had Maggie.

But now, Maggie couldn't wait to leave.

She had filed for emancipation about a month after her dad died, leaving her an orphan. She hired a lawyer that she found online and who decided to take on her case pro-bono because of the letter she wrote him. Maggie didn't think it was anything special, but he apparently did.

So they filed the paperwork, showed proof of her best interest staying in her hometown until she had her diploma at which point she would go to college as well as continue to work part time jobs to provide enough money to support herself.

The lawyer did a great job and the process moved quickly enough. So after 8 weeks, Maggie was an emancipated teen and cared for herself.

The kids at school stopped talking to her, finding her an enigma since she had no parents and lived on her own. Maggie figured if she had been more popular before, kids might think it was cool that she lived on her own, but she had been quiet before and now she was almost silent. She was the sad girl that had no parents. Not someone many teenagers want to be associated with someone like that.

She had 1 more year left before she could graduate a year and a half early and head across the country and get out of the town that haunted her thoughts every day. By the time she graduates, she should have taken enough PSEO and college classes to transfer almost a year's worth of credit into Columbia too.

She threw the bill on the kitchen counter and sat on the futon and pulled up her computer. She scanned a few websites before looking at her email again.

She had been upset when her mom was killed. Stacy Brady had been a retired soldier in the Army and worked for a security company. There had been a big even out in New York and while she didn't travel often for work, they had offered time and a half since it was an important event and they were bringing in "the best they had" for the civilian section of the event.

It was the Stark Expo, hosted by billionaire playboy named Tony Stark. Maggie had thought it was so cool that her mom was going and made her promise to try and get a picture with Iron Man. Instead of a picture, her mom had been killed trying to stop someone named Vanko who had a debt to pay with Tony Stark after using Stark technology to create a suit that he used to kill Maggie's mom.

There were papers in the local newspapers and an article from the New York Times even mentioned her mom's name, but most of them talked about how Tony Stark risked his life and saved thousands of lives. Maggie's mother name soon disappeared and Maggie didn't react well, but her father reacted worse.

Her father started to become distant right after the funeral. Maggie would try to cook dinner but he would say he wasn't hungry or was too tired. Growing up, he always glowed when he told Maggie how much she looked like her mother. Now he couldn't look at his own daughter, haunted by the ghost of his wife.

It was the first week of school her sophomore year, less than 4 months since her mother had died, when Maggie got back after her last class of the day and found her father in the garage with the motor of the car running. The doctors and police said that he had been gone for nearly 4 hours by the time Maggie found him.

That was when she got mad. She blamed many people for losing her parents. She yelled in the house at her dad for leaving her, cried that she had no one, but the person she blamed the most was herself. She shouldn't have asked her mom to try and get near Stark. Maybe then she wouldn't have been posted where she was. She should have tried harder to make her dad happy. Maybe if she hadn't been so sad he wouldn't have left her.

Yet now she was alone. And as much as she blamed herself. She found another person to blame. Tony Stark.

It was his technology that gave the Vanko guy so much power. Stark was his recklessness to show his technology to the public without thinking of repercussions that might happen if the wrong person copied it. And if her mom hadn't died because of Stark's technology, her father wouldn't have killed himself, and Maggie would still be normal.

But she wasn't normal. And so she had written an letter to Tony Stark. She wasn't sure it would ever even find him, but she put her heart and soul, her pain and her hatred in the letter. And she sent it.

Two weeks later, she was sent an email from a "Pepper Potts." Maggie immediately laughed at the name, thinking it was made up. But she clicked on it anyway and when she read it, she learned that Pepper Potts was the new CEO of Stark Industries and had been instructed by Tony Stark to provide a rather generous monetary gift as well as a few sentences from Tony of how sorry he was for her loss.

Maggie almost deleted the email. She wasn't even sure how they got her email address. She mailed a physical letter and they sent her back an electronic reply that Maggie associated with hush money. It's not like she threatened to sue him or anything. She was just hoping for some kind of acknowledgement that he had messed up. And instead, she got offered $100,000 and a few generic lines about losing someone you love.

Instead of deleting the email, she responded back. She tried to be civil, especially since she was emailing Ms. Potts, not Stark himself. But she told them she did not want their money and hopes he saw the error in his ways and to not contact her again. He had damaged her life enough.

Then she didn't think back on it again. She had other things to think about now. Cooking herself dinner. How to avoid people during the upcoming Christmas holiday, and figure out when she could apply for college to get out of her town and away from the sad looks people constantly cast her way.

* * *

**_Late-January 2013:_**

There was a knock on Maggie's door.

Odd, she didn't order food and her neighbors still hadn't talked to her yet, probably because she was the new freshman who started half way through the year and they had already been there for a semester.

She lived in a single room in the freshman housing units. It was nice enough and Maggie thought it was worth the extra money for a single. She didn't want a roommate if she could help it. She hasn't interacted with many kids in high school school and she didn't want a forced friend to start her college experience.

She got up from sitting on her bed and left her laptop open before walking over to the door.

She looked through the security hole but someone had their finger over it. Odd, again.

Maggie frowned and tried to look again, but they were still blocking it.

She carefully opened the door and was met with none other than Tony Stark.

Immediately, Maggie tried to close the door, but he shoved his foot in the way. "No, no. Please Maggie. Let me in. If anything, to save me from the college students in the hallway that are starting to recognize me.

"Ugh!". Maggie said as she swung the door open and he slipped in as Maggie closed the door quickly and locked the door.

Sure enough, she heard a few people in the hall through her door but she ignored the chatter and turned to Tony.

"Why are you here?" she asked, not wanting to be too rude, but also not wanting him as a guest longer than needed.

He walked around the small room. "This is what they put students up in? Geesh. Sucks to be young."

Maggie sighed, he was ignoring her. He had started their last conversation this way too. "Tony, look- I know I'll never be able to repay you for-"

"Stop right there," he said, holding his hand up and facing her. "You don't owe me anything. I just talked to the Dean and told him what a great student you would be."

Maggie rolled her eyes and walked past him so she could sit back on the bed. "And you forgot to mention your "talk" started with you flying into his office in your fancy metal suit. There isn't really anyone that can say no to that."

Tony looked thoughtful. "That's true... So, if I wore my suit here, would you take-"

"No!" Maggie almost shouted. "Nothing more. You've done enough to help me."

He looked down, and Maggie realized that her words couldn't been taken negatively.

But he rebounded and looked up. "So how are you settling in. Looks like you've unpacked."

Maggie nodded, "Yea, I'm doing fine. It's a bit smaller than the apartment, but it'll do."

They fell into a silence. Maggie had been able to sell a lot from her parents estate like furniture and clothes. At the time, she didn't want to be surrounded by their things and not them. But what she wouldn't give now just for a sweater or jacket of her mom's to smell her again. So the dorm room actually held most of what was left of Maggie's. What was left was in a storage locker back in Minnesota with rental paid for four years so she didn't need to worry about it while she was in college. She wasn't too sad about her meager belongings, but she could tell Tony was squirming it was so small.

"So you just came here to check on me?" Maggie asked tentatively. As much guts as she had and had grown to know him in the last 2 year and a hlaf, she was still just a 18 year old talking to one of the, possibly _the_, greatest minds in her lifetime.

"Well yeah." He said, shrugging. "You're basically right down the street from my new tower. Figured I could stop by every once in a while. Save you from dorm food, see if you need a maid service... you know, normal stuff."

Maggie smiled softly, "Okay. That'd be nice - visits, not a maid. But a text or something before you come would be appreciated. I can't do anything now. I have about 30 pages to read for my politics class for tomorrow that I haven't started."

He nodded, excited that she agreed to his visits. "Great! Well, not great for today, but great for later days. I'll also make sure that you have Happy's number. If you need anything or go out partying or anything, you'll want a safe ride home."

Maggie laughed out loud, "I don't think I'll be going to any parties soon. I'm 18 Tony. I don't think I could pass for 21 at any bar in the city."

He looked at her, scrutinizing her face. "Yea, probably not. But frat houses don't card - I don't think... So just be careful, yeah?"

Maggie nodded, the small smile on her lips appreciating the concern he had for her.

Maggie didn't know what to say, so they were silent yet again.

"Well, then, I'll be off," Tony said, motioning for the door. "Think it's safe that way or should I go out the window?"

Maggie looked at the door then the window. "I would say the door if you can stand the 10 students that will fawn over you. The window would make it seem like this was a rendezvous that I don't think either of us would want in the press."

Tony looked at her and nodded. "Yes, that sounds just like what might happen. Okay, well, I'll drop by again when you aren't as busy. And I'll get you Happy's number so you have a safe exit from... wherever you need."

Maggie nodded and then frowned as he opened the door. "Don't drop by, text me! Before hand!"

She had tried to shout the end, but Tony just waved his hand in the door as he closed it behind him. A rush of ohhs and ahhs filled Maggie's ears until it shut. She got up and locked the door quickly and then laid on her bed as she immediately got a text from 'Tony S.". It was Happy's number. Maggie smiled. For a guy that lived his life like like nothing mattered, Maggie had to admit he had a good heart.

It had taken a few months for her to agree to meet with him after she had denied Pepper's initial email offer. And by that point, Maggie was less mad and more upset with the person that actually killed her mother. And he was dead thanks to Tony, so at least justice had been served.

So Maggie met with the Stark billionaire and found she actually sort of liked him. She would never admit it, but she thought he was like a fun uncle. He had a good heart at least. Even though he joked that he didn't have one.

* * *

**_April 2014:_**

Maggie was early, as usual.

The event was an opening for a new science lab that Tony Stark was premiering as a new wave of technology with a specialty in something that Maggie couldn't quite remember. But she did know that it was a high brow event that would have very many famous people. There had even been a rumor with her co-workers that the Avengers would be attending as well.

Maggie was excited about it, but she had met with Tony so many times, that the awe of superheroes had worn off a bit in her mind.

The last year and a half were a blur and at the same time moved slow as molasses. Being on her own since 16 made Maggie realize the little things in life, like small acts of kindness for others or people watching in the park as parents played with their kids, or dogs chased down balls playing fetch. But is also make her realize she was lonely. She had shut more people out after her father died. Not entirely by choice, but with the issues and stares, she didn't want to talk with anyone that knew her before losing her parents.

And being in New York now wasn't a lot better. She knew a few people at work, and some people that were in more than one or two of her classes, but overall, she stuck to herself. Reading books and escaping into school work.

Working actually helped her get distracted from everything. Working events was tiring, but made her sleep quite well after being on her feet from 6-10 hours a day depending on the event.

So today, working an event hosted by Stark Industries would be nice that Maggie was able to work as well as possibly see the one person she actually had regular contact with - Tony Stark.

Maggie got to the venue early and realized that it really did look like a science lab, not an events center. But there was supposedly a large atrium area where the event would take place.

Maggie parked her beat-up Honda in the back where her boss had told her there would be parking for employees.

Getting into the venue was also easy enough, showing her ID and them taking a quick scan of it to verify and walking through a metal detector.

Maggie wandered through the back halls and heard soft music playing. Following the melodic notes, she found her way into the auditorium. It had been a bit of a maze through the hallway with rights and lefts, but it was easy enough to find.

Immediately, Maggie saw her boss, Randy, and made her way toward him to see if there was any last minute prep that they needed help with. She was there only to serve tonight, but she had done set-ups many times and figured it was such a big event for the company that Randy might not mind an extra set of hands.

"Oh dear, yes, that would be wonderful. Can you help Patrice with organizing the assignments? She's been a mess all day after Grace called in sick."

Maggie smiled and nodded at her boss and made her way over to his right-hand woman, Patrice.

Patrice immediately saw Maggie make her way over and ran to Maggie to give he a hug. "Oh thank goodness you're here! Grace is sick and we need someone to help with the VIPs for the night!"

Maggie frowned a bit. She knew that they always had a few servers for the "VIP" parties of events to ensure they had everything they needed, but Maggie had never done that before. She had made the normal rounds, cleared cocktail tables, and helped where needed. But never catered to the VIPs specifically.

"Um, well, I mean if you don't have anyone else..." Maggie said, somewhat accepting her assignment.

"Yes yes hun. We need you. You're the only one tonight that has a sense of propriety and won't fawn over the guests." Patrice said quickly, waving her hand to the rest of the room. "I can only imagine what Stacy would do if she was assigned to the Avengers, that won't work. I'll have to double check her tonight and make sure she doesn't try to get any autographs!"

Maggie realized from Patrice's speech, the VIPs Maggie would be catering to were the Avengers. The famed heroes that saved the world. Not a big deal. No, she would be completely okay with that... Right? She knew she could handle Tony, but she hadn't _actually_ met any others.

Maggie just took a deep breath and asked if there was a profile sheet. When Randy had a high level event like this, the VIPs normally had small profile sheets so their server would be able to address them by name and recognize them.

"Oh yes, hear you go, Maggie." Patrice said, handing Maggie a small stack of papers. "These are your VIPs. There are 2 other groups, but those are taken care of, so just focus on these ones."

There was a total of 12 people, but 3 of them had "No" next to the attending row meaning they hadn't RSVP'ed for the event and most likely wouldn't be there. And there was one with a Maybe marked. Maggie looked.

The 'Maybe' was for Steven Rogers AKA Captain America. Obviously she addressed them by last name but knowing he had his alter ego on the sheet was a little mystifying to Maggie.

She scrolled through the other papers, recognizing the 5 other Avengers from the news including Tony. There was also a file for Pepper Potts, two people just listed with their names and no titles or descriptions; Ms. Maria Hill and Mr. Brock Rumlow. Maggie figured they worked with the Avengers or were scientists at the new lab they were premiering tonight. They tended to group VIP groups with people they would be near, so Maggie considered their line of work leaned more toward superhero than scientist.

Maggie had found a spot to sit and read the minimal details about the VIP list before she went to find a bathroom.

There was one close in the atrium and since no one was there Maggie used that one and as she stood washing her hands, she looked at herself and saw her hair had already started to fall out of the up-do she had attempted.

"Dammit," she muttered while pulling an extra bobby pin from her black dress.

While the black dress was a uniform, Maggie liked that it was still somewhat flattering and could even potentially be worn out of the job too. And it had pockets that Maggie could keep things like chapstick, gum, and a nail file - just the necessities. So Maggie didn't mind wearing the same thing as the other female servers. She technically had the choice to wear a button up shirt and black slacks, but none of the other girls that worked there wore the pants option, and Maggie didn't want to be the odd one out.

Doing the best she could in plugging her hair up, Maggie looked at herself and shrugged. Her brown hair swooped a bit before it was pulled back into a bun. She had put on mascara and lip balm, but other than that, she didn't like applying much make-up since she rarely remembered to take it off the night of and would get acne if she didn't wash it off before bed.

Maggie also twisted her feet a little. She had bought new flats and she was beginning to think it was a huge mistake to wear them for the first time here.

The servers were allowed to wear short heels, but being 5'8", Maggie never felt the need to add more height to herself and she had never been a huge fan of heels since she struggled to walk at a normal pace even with smaller wedges.

She was glad she hadn't told anyone that she knew Iron Man. She was sure it would have made this night awkward, but it might also have meant she was on clean up duty to stay away from people she knew. So she kept mum about knowing the two people hosting the event.

Looking at the analog clock in the bathroom, Maggie realized it was about 30 minutes until the doors would open, so she grabbed her VIP profile sheets and walked to the back room that the events staff had been given for the night. She needed to drop off the profile sheets as she couldn't use them during the event and then she needed to make sure she didn't lose them.

* * *

Maggie had taken an immediate liking to the Avengers and their group. Mr. Rumlow didn't end up showing up, at least not yet, and it was almost an hour and a half into the event. Tony and Pepper had given short and sweet speeches about steps forward in science that could change the world and mostly mingled with the other guests in the atrium. Maggie had offered them both champagne when they came in and Tony clasped her on the shoulder and said he didn't realize she was working jobs like this.

"I really wish you'd let me help you out, Maggie." he said softly so no one would hear.

Maggie shook her head and frowned knowing he meant giving her money, "No, I told you many times before, thank you for offering, but I'll never accept. The help you gave me in getting into Columbia was more than enough."

He just nodded and looked down. Pepper took the champagne and then told Maggie they shouldn't need too much the rest of the night. Tony wasn't drinking for now and Pepper said she didn't want to get tipsy. So Maggie nodded and asked them to find her if they needed anything.

Since Tony told Maggie to keep "the others" happy" Maggie had been running for drinks for the 5 Avengers that were there and had been standing at the same cocktail table for the night.

Maggie had introduced herself to Ms. Romanoff first as she was the first to arrive, and Maggie felt like this woman wasn't someone that would make others feel like lesser people just because they were serving. So Maggie kept the drinks coming and Ms. Romanoff continued to thank Maggie and try to tip her. Though tips weren't allowed, Ms. Romanoff and Ms. Hill, who the group let slip was in fact an agent working with the Avengers, began to "tip" Maggie in compliments that ranged from her hair, to her eyes, to her ability to make a good mixed drink, a compliment that Maggie laughed at and deferred to the bartenders.

Maggie had just dropped off two new beers for Dr. Banner and Mr. Barton when she had reached for the empty glasses on the cocktail table, Ms. Romanoff reached softly for Maggie's wrist, stopping her from walking away.

"Maggie, if you don't mind waiting just a second, I'm sure Steve will want something." Ms. Romanoff, said. Maggie nodded and felt out of place just standing there, but decided to wait anyway.

She heard one of the men in their group say something and Maggie looked over her shoulder to see who the others were snickering about. She saw Steve Rogers, Captain America himself, make eye contact with Ms. Romanoff, and make his way over to the small table.

"Rogers, we thought you might not show, seeing as we all know you love this time of schmoozing event. That and you and Stark actually seem to be talking again." Natasha said.

Captain America who was now at the table but had yet to notice the server, rolled his eyes.

As he rolled his eyes, they fell on Maggie. When he saw her, he straightened up and turned to fully face Maggie, with a seriousness that honestly made Maggie think she was doing something wrong by just standing there.

Before she could introduce herself and ask what his order would be, Ms. Romanoff, broke in, "This is Maggie, a lovely woman that has been bringing us copious amounts of alcohol. We like her, so be nice."

Steve didn't even acknowledge Natasha's words and took a step closer to Maggie, already being close, but now it was like he was staring down at her in an interrogation.

"Um, well, if no one wants anything right now, I should go check on the other guests and um... go get Ms. Hill another round." Maggie said, grabbing Ms. Hill's glass as it was now empty.

As she took a step back away from Captain America, who was still staring at her intensely, and she tried to turn and start to walk away but was stopped short as she felt a hard pressure around her right arm. The movement made her jerk the small serving tray of empty glasses in her left hand but she managed to keep them balanced.

Then she turned back and saw who it was holding on to her arm.

Steve Rogers was staring at her, still slack jawed and with an iron vice grip on her arm just above the elbow.

"Hey Rogers, stop being so handsy with help," Mr. Barton said somewhat jokingly, but then his brow furrowed as Captain America didn't let go. Instead of listening to his friend, he took another step toward Maggie.

Maggie wasn't sure what to do with the man holding on to her.

Captain America started to speak but then just shook his head like he forgot something.

"Well," Maggie started, rolling her shoulder to try and release herself from Steve's grip, "I'll be going for those drinks."

Captain America released his grip and looked from his hand to Maggie like he was burned. His grip had been much harder than she had though Maggie now realized because she winced as she straightened her arm where he held her. She took two large steps back, still facing toward the man that had held her.

As she stepped back, Steve stepped forward, still staring at Maggie, not saying a word.

At this point, the other 4 people at the table, including the Maria, stepped toward the odd pair as they did not know what was happening with the Captain.

"Hey, seriously, step back and let the girl be." Dr. Banner said, now almost in between Captain America and Maggie, trying to put himself into the line of fire, or whatever was happening between the Captain and the polite serving girl.

Maggie, now terribly embarrassed and somewhat scared, said "I'm sorry, I need to go um, do something in the back quickly... I'll um, check back soon if you need anything?"

"Yes," Ms. Hill said immediately, "Thank you, Maggie." and motioned for Maggie to leave.

"Maggie stop!" Captain America almost yelled. Maggie froze mid step and looked slightly over her shoulder to the man that was now terrifying her more than she had ever been. A few groups of people in the main room were now looking at the group of Avengers too, curious as to what Captain America was yelling about.

Ms. Romanoff, and Mr. Barton just motioned everyone on as Maggie and Captain America stayed frozen. For the most part, the eyes of outside people left the Avenger group and went back to minding their own business.

"Maggie?" Captain America asked. "Is it - is it really you?"

Maggie fully turned toward the group, now desperately confused as why Captain America, Steven Rogers, was asking if she was herself.

"Um, yes, that's me." Maggie started. "I'm your server for the event tonight..."

"Maggie." the Captain cut her off. "Margaret Brady. Maggie, I know you. C'mon, it's me Steve. You know me, don't you? But how are you here - I don't understand..."

Maggie looked at the man, pleading her to remember him, but she had exactly zero clue as to how he knew anything about her, especially her full name, and saying that she should know him. And then he was trying to reach out to her again!

"I'm sorry!" Maggie said quickly and turned tail and walked quickly away down the closest hallway, setting her serving tray on the nearest cocktail table that was empty before disappearing down into one of the many halls that diverted from the atrium, not seeing Tony Stark staring at her as she ran away.


	2. Chapter 2

I own nothing but my OC. No copyright infringement is intended, I just love the Marvel Universe and am trying my hand... Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_"Maggie." the Captain cut her off. "Margaret Brady. Maggie, I know you. C'mon, it's me Steve. You know me, don't you? But how are you here - I don't understand..."_

_Maggie looked at the man, pleading her to remember him, but she had exactly zero clue as to how he knew anything about her, especially her full name, and saying that she should know him. And then he was trying to reach out to her again!_

_"I'm sorry!" Maggie said quickly and turned tail and walked quickly away down the closest hallway, setting her serving tray on the nearest cocktail table that was empty before disappearing down into one of the many halls that diverted from the atrium, not seeing Tony Stark staring at her as she ran away._

* * *

She heard her name being yelled by Captain America as well as Ms. Hill, but she just ran down the hall and found a stairwell that only went down, so down she went.

She thought she had heard footsteps following her at one point, so she had taken to getting off at a random basement level and continued to power walk through the halls, winding down to the left, then right, then right again until she realized that she was finally alone.

Taking a deep breath, she realized that she didn't know exactly why she ran.

She knew it had something to do with the way that Captain America had stared at her. When he said her name and she hadn't responded, he had almost looked hurt. But the way he held her arm terrified her. She didn't like being in small spaces or being held down, so having a man 100 times her strength hold her really made her panic.

As she counted to 5 and exhaled, she held her breath, trying the breathing technique she had used throughout high school and college to calm down when she got upset.

Once she was breathing normally again, she started to walk back the way she thought she had come. But then, she was walking and heard what sounded like a box dropping and then faint voices.

Wondering if she had someone still looking for her, she walked toward the voices, now feeling bad for reacting the way she did.

As she got closer to the end of the fall, she found the voices were coming from a room that had the light on. As she made her way there, she just got outside the doorway when she knew these people were definitely NOT looking for her. But they were looking for something or had even found it because they were moving a few boxes out of their way as they were taking something out of a center holding tray and into a fancy suitcase thing as far as Maggie could see.

They were in a science lab and did not look at all like scientists.

There were four men total, all in black outfits. Maggie though they looked like robbers or bandits. They even had the little black stocking hats on!

Her eyes widened as she realized that they were most definitely robbers. The two men on the floor were unloading something carefully from the center of the room and the other two had very large guns. Maggie wasn't a gun expert, but they looked like assault weapons that are always on the news. And she wanted to be anywhere instead of where she was.

Maggie must have made a sound, because as she tried to back out of the door frame, two of the men looked up, one quickly drawing a gun on her.

"Who the hell are you?" the man with the gun yelled.

The other two men who hadn't noticed her looked up, stopping their careful loading of what looked like a glass container of a blue liquid in a large class container using really big forceps to handle the glass.

"Jesus, Lucas, just get her." Said one of the men loading. He was blond and was already looking back at the suitcase. "No one will notice a random serving girl missing for hours. We need to tied up loose ends."

Maggie, upon hearing that, realized that she needed to go. Now. But just as she was about to try and dart away, "Lucas" must've seen her eyes dart to the hall.

"Don't even think about it." He said loudly as he made his way to her. "No funny business unless you want a bullet in your head, got it?" he said harshly.

Maggie winced as he reached her, grabbing the arm that wasn't already bruised from Captain America gripping her just minutes before.

He all but dragged her to the side of the room, and grabbed some zip ties from his pocket and tied her to what looked like a water pipe, but from what Maggie could see, there wasn't a sink near there. So maybe not a water pipe. Whatever it was, she needed to figure out how to get out.

But as he tightened the zip ties, all Maggie could think was, who the hell has zip ties in their pocket?

After he grunted and seemingly thought Maggie was at no risk from getting out of the zip ties, he walked away.

"Let's go, we have enough. The boss won't be happy if we're late. We had a 7 minute window, it's been 9. Someone's gonna be by soon."

"We need two more minutes, just wait. It'll be fine. No one is coming." the blonde man said. Continuing to carefully load what Maggie could see was a glowing blue liquid type something in a container the size of a large suitcase.

Maggie, beginning to tune the arguing men out, had silently slipped her small clutch out of her dress pocket and had taken her metal nail file out and had started to saw at the ties on her wrists. It hurt like hell to bend her wrists the way she needed, but she was sitting down and had her body in front of her so the men didn't see anything.

Breaking the first tied, she quickly set out to free her right hand, and once victory was hers, her smile barely got to her face before she heard the men packing up and the blond man say, "Shoot her. We can't have loose ends."

Maggie was beginning to like him less and less.

The man from before, Lucas, that tied her up groaned. "You said no casualties. She's tied up, she's not gonna be able to warn anyone, let's just go."

Trying to make his way to the door, the blond man stopped him with his arm. "I said, 'shoot her.' Unless you want to be in a body bag too? No loose ends means no witnesses."

Maggie, now terrified as she didn't know what to do, realized that she couldn't just sit there. Lucas was making his way toward her and she needed a plan. Now.

But all that went on her in head was one thing. Run.

So she did. She dropped her nail file and pushed herself up, running for the other side of the lab where a large metal container of something sat, but that she might be able to hide behind. But as she just about got there, she heard a round of bullets go off. One must've hit way high in the air or ricocheted because there was a burst of steam now coming from the ceiling. She also thought she heard glass break.

But as she dove behind the metal vat, Maggie had dropped to her knees and had a searing pain in her left thigh. Looking down, she saw blood. A lot of blood.

"C'mon sweetheart. Stop making this hard on me. You're really starting to piss me off!" She heard one of the men yell.

Just as she was about to look up, she heard an automated voice come over the loud speakers.

"Please evacuate. There has been a leak of highly dangerous substance. This area is not safe and will be set to quarantine in 15 seconds. Please evacuate."

Maggie, now panicking, looked over the metal vat and didn't see anyone there, but could barely move and was getting dizzy. Maybe it wasn't steam coming from that pipe. She heard the men say something about leaving, but Maggie couldn't tell for sure as she felt woozy.

"Please evacuate. There has been a leak of highly dangerous substance. This area is not safe and will be set to quarantine in 5 seconds. 4 seconds. 3 seconds. 2 seconds. 1 second."

Maggie waited for something to happen, but realized that she didn't see anything change. Then the doorways seemed to bolt shut at a very fast pace before Maggie even realized that it was happening. So she wriggled her way away from the metal container to see if the men were locked in here too. They weren't, but the blue container that they had been moving earlier was on the floor, cracked, and leaking what looked like a liquid gas. She couldn't decide if that was good or bad. Be locked in a room with the men with guns shooting at her or be locked alone with an apparently dangerous something or other.

She did notice that there was a buzzing sounds coming from the center piece of the room that the men had been taking the blue liquid off of before and she saw... what looked like... smoking?

As she looked, she was about to yell for help, thinking that maybe they would figure that someone was down here since it was supposedly on lock down.

Maggie opened her mouth to try and yell, but then saw the 'steam', or whatever the gas was from the ceiling float from the cracked glass container holding it and she heard the glass start to break more. Whatever was contained in that glass was wanting to combust. It sounded like lightening. And then it sparked. Like a small bolt of lightening. And then again.

Maggie tried to stand up to get out, but fell, the pain from her leg how almost unbearable.

As she looked up one more time, she saw the smoke and then it all flashed, like the greatest storm she had ever seen, when a bolt came straight to her and hit her in the chest. She felt like she was thrown against the wall of room and hit her back and head on something hard and her ears were ringing. Everything was black. Her chest burned, and then feeling extremely dizzy and sick to her stomach, she let herself lose consciousness.

* * *

_5 minutes earlier_

"Look, right there - it's _her_." Steve said, pointing to the phone in his hand that held a blurry photo of a zoomed in woman on it's screen.

"Cap, I don't know, it's just a blurry old photo and too fuzzy to see anything." Tony said looking over Steve's shoulder as he tried to show the group why he had behaved so oddly.

After Maggie, the server, had taken off, Clint and Maria had stopped Steve from running after her, letting Tony try and find the girl since he was the only one that had been in the building much as it was the new science lab facility. But he had come back after about 5 minutes saying he couldn't find her but that they could check the security footage to find her if she didn't make her way back soon. He hadn't installed AI in the building yet as not many people were working there yet.

"No, it's her. How else would I know her name?" Steve said, struggling to use the phone to change the picture and zoom out.

Tony said, "I'm sure it's just some long-lost relative. The Maggie that you just scared off grew up in Minnesota and has lived in New York the last few years. She isn't from the past or whatever the hell you're trying to say."

Maria took the phone from Steve and tried to re-size the photo as the Captain ignored Tony's words. Steve had pulled up a file from an old WWII regiment and had taken almost 10 minutes trying to find a file that even referenced what he was trying to get to.

Zooming out, Maria was able to look and see a profile of a woman that definitely resembled the women, Maggie, from the side, but the photo must've been taken from 20 yards away and this woman, a nurse, was walking away from the camera that was taking a picture of a group of men near the back of a truck.

"Just keep going, there's one there, I know it." Steve said, trying to reach for the phone.

"I'll get it, you still can't use this to save your life, just let me." Maria said, flicking through the photos until she stopped on one in particular. "No way. That can't be-"

"Maggie!" Steve exclaimed. "That's her!" pointing to the screen.

The other four at the table now looked over Hill's shoulder to see and sure enough, what looked like Maggie's identical twin was on the phone screen.

There were two women, arm in arm, smiling at the camera. They were medics from the sight of the crosses on their arms, but they looked to be dressed like men in combat gear. The one on the right with blond hair that was framed around her face was shorter, by quite a bit, and had her arm around the other woman's waist. And the other woman, even with dirt on her face, looked exactly like Maggie. Smiling into the camera, in 1943 according to the archived photo tag, was "M. Brady".

Tony quickly pulled the phone from Hill's hand.

"What the hell?" he muttered, zooming in on the woman's uniforms. And on the top of the taller nurse's left breast pocket their name badge read, _Brady._

The group looked from the picture to Steve and each other, now wondering about the young woman that no one had seen in almost 10 minutes.

"Okay, well, let's go find her and-" Natasha was cut off as a siren started to go off in the main area where the party was happening.

Everyone was being asked to evacuate so naturally, the group split off and went in search of the mystery that was Maggie Brady, wondering if she had anything to do with the evacuation of the building.

* * *

As Maggie woke up, she tried to sit up, and realized that the pain in her leg was much less, more like a throbbing now. But she also realized that she wasn't on the hard concrete floor anymore. She was on some sort of, cot? Or a bed?

And she had a needle in her arm that was hooked to what looked like a makeshift IV, and as she looked around to see her surroundings. She was in a hospital room.

"Oh good!" A voice said from the doorway. "We weren't sure you'd make it through the night."

Maggie looked at the voice coming from her right. She saw a petite blond woman with bright green eyes and a pleasant smile walking toward her.

"Where-" Maggie started, struggling to speak. She swallowed hard to gather enough saliva to talk. "Where are we?"

"Here, hun, don't try to talk just yet." The blond women, well, nurse from the uniform that Maggie could see, said to her, holding up a paper cup of water to her lips. "Take a sip, easy does it."

Maggie took a small drink of the water and coughed lightly trying to get it past her throat.

"So, hun, I'm gonna go get the doctor and let him know you're awake. But is there any one I can call or send the messenger for? You don't want to be alone I'm sure."

Maggie scrunched her face and looked at the woman, "What?"

"A contact? Family member? Husband? Boyfriend? Just a friend?" The blond prompted, tilting her head as she looked at Maggie.

"Um, no, no husband... or friend... And my family... Um, no family..." Maggie trailed off, looking at the nurse once more.

The nurse looked like she came from a costume party. Her uniform was bright white and it was actually a skirt, or maybe even a dress?!

Maggie then looked at the IV again, it looked like something you see in a history museum.

She then looked at the room decorating and something didn't seem right.

"I'm sorry - where am I?" Maggie asked quickly, suddenly starting to feel very trapped.

"You're in the hospital, hun. The Methodist Hospital of Brooklyn. But I'm gonna have to ask you to take a few deep breaths okay, you're starting to work yourself up. I can't imagine what happened that brought you here, but you're safe now." The nurse said, trying to be calming, but only putting Maggie on edge more.

Brooklyn? She had been in Manhattan, why would someone bring her here? It seemed very wrong. She tried to move up in the bed to see how she could get away, but the movement triggered a searing pain in her upper leg and when she moved forward to grab it her head spun like she had just gone on a roller coaster.

"Oh, there there." The nurse said calmly, lightly pressing Maggie's shoulders back into the bed. "You're going to be alright, I'll just go get the doctor - sound like a plan? Then we can see about getting a friend in here for you, alright?"

Maggie nodded weakly, tears coming out of her eyes at the pain and fear of what was happening. This all looked so wrong. Taking a chance, she asked one question as the nurse was almost out of the doorway. "Wait! Um, what's the date?"

The nurse smiled, "It's Wednesday the 6th."

"No!" Maggie said, almost yelled, "The full date?" she added meekly.

Looking at Maggie a bit strangely, the nurse responded, "It's Wednesday, November 6th, 1940. Everything alright, hun?"

Maggie didn't even hear the nurse's question if she was alright as she had fainted back into her bed.


	3. Chapter 3

I own nothing but my OC. No copyright infringement is intended at all.

* * *

_The nurse smiled, "It's Wednesday the 6th."_

_"No!" Maggie said, almost yelled, "The full date?" she added meekly. _

_Looking at Maggie a bit strangely, the nurse responded, "It's Wednesday, November 6th, 1940. Everything alright, hun?"_

_Maggie didn't even hear the nurse's question if she was alright as she had fainted back into her bed._

* * *

It had been just over 6 weeks since Maggie had woken up in the hospital decades away from 2014. When she had come to again, she had spoken to the doctor about her injuries, but then was questioned about who she was and where she was from since she didn't have any identification on her when she was found and it was very strange for women to be gunshot victims in back alleyways with no memory.

She found herself now, sitting in the window of a Brooklyn apartment looking out as the snow fell on Christmas Eve sipping some hot cocoa. Her feet were tucked under her as she held her knees to her chest, thinking about the last couple of months.

**_6 weeks ago: _**

"Now Miss Brady, I know you're injured, but we need to contact your family or a caregiver for you so that you can leave. You really should be leaving tomorrow as we need the bed and you're healing just fine. So tonight, work on remembering anything that might help. An address or name could go a long way." The older doctor tried to explain. He was very tall and wiry and seemed somewhat skeptical that Maggie could remember her name, but nothing else. How was she to tell them that she was in the wrong century and that she had no people or friends to help her.

"I'll do my best Dr. Killian." Maggie replied meekly.

As the doctor left, Maggie felt the weight of sadness in her chest almost give out until she saw the same nurse that had been there since Maggie has been awake the first time. Sarah was a very nice woman Maggie soon learned. Not pushing Maggie about anything even though Maggie could tell Sarah was probably just as skeptical as the doctor. She was probably a similar age to Maggie, maybe a few years older, making Maggie even more comfortable with the young woman.

"How are you doing, hun?" Sarah asked, a large smile on her face. "Need anything? Pillow fluff? Water? A day off without Killian checking in on you?"

Maggie chuckled at the last suggestion. "No, I don't need anything."

Sarah tutted. "Well, if you think of anything, or just want to talk about what's on your mind, you let me know."

Maggie looked up at Sarah quickly.

"Your face is an open book hun. I know you know more than you're letting on, but if you just let me help you, I bet we can get a few things squared away."

Sarah's offer was tempting, and not really talking to anyone in the last 3 days was wearing on Maggie. She might be introverted but she still needed human contact.

"Um, well, I do remember... A bit. Not everything, but I don't know what I should tell you..." Maggie started honestly.

"Don't tell me anything you don't want to. Let's start with you name then. You are Margaret Brady, correct?" Sarah asked as she pulled a wooden chair, supposed to be used by guests over to the hospital bed. "Any middle name?"

Maggie nodded. "My name is Margaret Dorothy Brady."

"Lovely middle name. That's my Gran's name you know! Margaret Dorothy Brady. And you said you're 20 you said, right?"

At this Maggie nodded, trying to do math quickly in her head as she could see where the next question was headed.

"And you're birthday?" Sarah asked, Maggie still not completely ready for it.

"Um, September 1st." Maggie said honestly.

"Okay, so September of '20 then, right?" Sarah confirmed.

Maggie nodded, feeling slightly less like she was lying if she didn't have to open her mouth.

"Alright hun, that's really good!" Sarah said patting Maggie's hand on the bed, making Maggie feel a tiny bit better.

Sarah had a good heart and Maggie could tell that from the moment she had woken up after fainting. For the last few days, Sarah had snuck Maggie some chocolate even though it's "not on the patients' menu", and even helped lead Dr. Killian away when she could tell Maggie was getting upset with his questioning.

"Okay, Maggie, now I know you were pretty frazzled when you finally came to, but I don't blame you because you had been shot by someone." Sarah started, reaching her hands out to Maggie's right hand to hold it in a comforting way. "Do you remember anything about getting shot? Who shot you or where? The police said they found you in an alleyway because of a call in from someone in that neighborhood, but no one heard anything that night, so they think someone dropped you there."

Maggie wasn't sure of much, but she knew that she had no answer for this. At least, the "where" or "when" of the shooting.

Taking her silence as an answer that she wasn't comfortable talking about it, Sarah tried to reroute the conversation. "Okay, well, if you can't remember any of that yet, what about home? Do you remember anything about that?"

Maggie offered a bit of truth. "Well, I grew up in Minnesota, but I haven't lived there since I was 17. No one is left there, my parents had both died. So I moved to New York for college and-"

"You've been to college?!" Sarah exclaimed, "Oh wow! No wonder your dress was so fancy when you came in, you must've done real well there. What one did you go to?"

Feeling a bit trapped and like she had backed herself into a corner Maggie stumbled over her answer. "Oh, no, um, I mean, I go to college, but I don't really... I was at Columbia, but-"

"Oh my goodness, I can't believe it! You must've been one of the only women there, right? Oh, I always wanted to go to college, but nursing was far less expensive and I never had the grades to get in to a school like that." Sarah said quickly, full of excitement for Maggie who was now feeling even worse. "What'd you study there?"

"Uh, history," Maggie muttered softly.

"Oh, wow!" Sarah smiled and patted Maggie's hand. "That is just amazing. I bet you have read so much and just know so much about famous cities and people, and stuff, huh?"

Maggie just nodded her head and looked down. If only ancient Roman history would help her now.

"Hey now, what's there to be glum about? Going to college is a great thing! And most women I know could never even think of going." Sarah stated and then brightened up even more than Maggie thought possible. "Now, if you went there, wouldn't they be a good place to start on a contact person? I'm sure they have a list of people who would know you!"

"No!" Maggie all but shouted. "No, um, please, don't contact them. I just - there was something that..."

Maggie trailed off, trying to think of why she could shoot down the most logical reason that Sarah had to get contact information for Maggie.

"Um, I had to drop out of school, there were issues with um.. finances."

Sarah shushed her and leaned close, "Oh hun, that's okay, I'm sure they'd be willing to look up your record anyway."

Not knowing how else to answer, Maggie numbly looked at her hands and started, "No, it, well, I mean. I didn't leave there with a good record, so I'd like to not contact them if that's alright?"

"Hmmm," Sarah hummed, "Well, we won't dig that up quite yet, alright? The police might come by again before you leave and you can tell them what you know, but otherwise you can call Columbia later and let them give you a place to start, okay? But now, you'll be released in the morning, and as far as I can understand, you've got nowhere to go. That sound about right?"

Maggie stared at Sarah, realizing that it was true, she would be booted out in less than a day on the streets in a strange place where Maggie knew little to nothing of how to live.

"Ohh, don't give me that doe-eyed look!" Sarah said quickly, "I just wanted to make sure that was right. I have an extra room at my Gran's place and since you seem like you need a bit of help to get your feet under you again, I can't see why I can't be that helping hand."

Maggie's mouth opened like a fish until she could find words, "Sarah, I - thank you so much, but I don't think I could impose on you like that and-"

"Oh hush,"Sarah said cutting Maggie off. "My gran owns the place and she always complains about not having guests. We have the extra bed and the space to spare since my brother moved out. My mother, god rest her soul, would tell me I'm not being a good person if I left a girl like you on the street. Besides, I like you and I think we'd get along just fine. And granny cooks most meals so you wouldn't starve while I'm working. I mean, I'd have to clear it with her, but I already told her about the strange woman in the hospital that I've been helping with." Sarah got up with a wink.

"Sarah, I don't know what to say other than thank you." Maggie said, still not believing the kindness of the woman in front of her.

"Like I said, don't say nothing yet, Gran has to approve," Sarah said as she straightened her skirt. "But just so I know, what are your sizes? I'd let you borrow something of mine when you leave tomorrow - that dress you had is all but ruined. But I think you'd look like you're in child's clothes since you got a lot more height than me."

Maggie laughed and then stopped. "Um, I think I'm..." Then trailed off, not knowing if sizes were similar to the 21st century or not.

"Stop, don't get that look on your face. I'll figure something out." Sarah said, waving her hand. "I'll see you tomorrow, Maggie."

Sarah left the room as Maggie gave a quiet "goodnight."

For the bad luck that she had in when getting sent to 1940, Maggie had to admit that being treated at a hospital for her gunshot wound and making a new friend that just kept saving her made a terrifying situation just a little bit better.

* * *

**_6 weeks later, December 24th, 1940:_**

Maggie sat and stared out the window of the small apartment that looked on to Bedford Avenue, not many cars or buses going by seeing as it was Christmas Eve night. Sarah and Sarah's grandma, Dorothy, or as she insisted Maggie call her "Gran," had both gone to bed after they had eaten what Maggie might consider a feast.

They had corn, roasted potatoes, glazed vegetables, a little bit of roast (what Sarah could afford at the market), and Maggie helped make an apple pie. All three woman had eaten their fill and Maggie and Sarah had cleaned up since Gran did most of the cooking. Apparently Sarah's brother John couldn't make it back for the holiday as he was meeting his girlfriend's family instead.

Sarah had been kind enough to find a few outfits at a local store that fir Maggie as well as two pairs of shoes. Maggie was grateful and told Sarah she'd find a way to pay her back, even if she did hate having heels on the shoes.

Sarah had waved her off, but after talking with Maggie about what she might be able to get a job doing, Sarah tried to convince Maggie to come to the hospital with her once her leg was mostly healed.

_"Oh c'mon, Mags." Sarah urged. "You're smart, not squeamish when it comes to blood, and you're young and pretty, just what most doctors want in a nurse. Besides, you know Dr. Killian and he helps with most hires."_

_Maggie scoffed, "Okay, I admit I don't get nauseous at blood, but I'm not medically trained and though I'm young, I'm not near as pretty as you, so that's not a point in your argument."_

_Sarah leaned across the table and smacked Maggie in the arm._

_"Ow!" Maggie squealed, "What the hell was that for?"_

_"No swearing in this household Margaret!" Gran's voice rattled across the living room._

_Maggie glared at Sarah and yelled back, "Sorry, Gran!"_

_Sarah giggled as Maggie rolled her eyes. "You and that mouth on your Miss Brady. Were you a sailor in your previous life? Or just a man?"_

_Maggie tried to swipe back at Sarah but she nimbly got out of her chair and headed to the counter to fill up her coffee mug._

_"Not a man OR a sailor, thank you. Just never got scolded for saying what came out of my mouth," Maggie laughed. "Why did you hit me though?"_

_"Miss "I'm Not Pretty" wants to know why I smacked her? Well isn't that something." Sarah said as her mug filled with coffee. "You need to get it out of your head now, cause you're a catch and any man would swoon at you if you'd just put your hair up instead of the bun it's always in and let someone in. And _before _you start your sassy rolling your eyes again, don't think I don't see it _every _time; you are pretty. And you just have to deal with it."_

_Maggie smiled, "Well, thanks I guess. And I guess nursing isn't the worst option right? I don't think I'm peppy enough to be a waitress, and there isn't much I can do but type and with no references, that limits it a bit..."_

_"So you'll do it? You'll come with me and talk to them tomorrow?!" Sarah exclaimed. _

_Maggie smiled and nodded, wondering just what she was getting herself into._

_"Oh, I can't wait to finally have someone my own age, well, closer to my age - mind you, working in the hospital!" Sarah said with glee as she leaned over and hugged Maggie. "This will be good you know. You'll pick it up right away, I know it."_

Maggie smiled as she remembered Sarah's joy when she agreed to fill out the nursing application. Without references, it had been a push, but Dr. Killian started her on scut work (mostly cleaning and picking up rooms after surgeries or once patients left a room) and she rarely interacted with patients, but she had a small income now and was able to pay Sarah back for the clothes as well as help with groceries and even save a little after it was all said and done. She was rather glad she had mundane tasks since her leg was healing well, but she limped for the first few weeks as it healed which would have slowed her down if she was given too much more work.

She had been at Methodist Hospital of Brooklyn for almost 2 weeks and really did enjoy it. She was able to help the doctors and nurses type reports once they learned that she could type faster than most of the other staff and with even less errors. It had taken Maggie a few tries, but growing up in the 21st century really made her a fast typist and it was a skill that apparently most people didn't have the time to learn.

But besides helping with small administrative tasks, the few times she had helped people, she felt like she finally had a small reason to be stuck in 1940.

She still wasn't sure how she had gotten catapulted from 2014 to 1940, but she doubted she'd be able to figure it out. It must've been a reaction of the blue gas-liquid in that container from the lab, but she couldn't figure out why it would lead to time travel and not just radioactive poison or even her death. She was sure Tony was working on a way to get her back. It happened in a lab of his, so he must know what the blue stuff was that reacted like it had.

On her days off, since they rarely matched with Sarah's, Maggie did try to go to the local library and read as much about combustion and chemical reactions as she could, but it was all so above her head and Maggie had remembered that the atomic bomb wasn't even a thing yet so she didn't dare as a librarian for any research help. And she couldn't risk asking about too much as what she knew might throw off history - or well, the future technically.

But she made a decision to at least keep trying to look as long as she was still there. If there was a way to get to the past, there had to be a way to get back home to 2014.

For now though, enjoying a small cup of hot chocolate and watching the snow come down seemed like the best way she could end her night.

* * *

**_Two years later, New Years Eve, 1942:_**

"Oh, come ON!" Sarah yelled, trying to get Maggie out of the bathroom. "You look great!"

Maggie slowly opened the door to reveal a bright red dress, red heels, new stockings, and a look that could kill.

Sarah just smiled. "You look so good!"

Maggie scoffed. "I look ridiculous. Besides, my hair won't stay like this, I know it. And I still don't know how to dance, so there really isn't a point in me going."

Sarah ran forward and grabbed Maggie's arm. "No way. Not tonight. We are going. It's the last night we both have off together for at least a month, and then we have to go to training. So nice try hun, but we are going out!"

Maggie had purposely avoided being off night shifts when Sarah was off, mainly to avoid situations like this. They had gone out enough times that Maggie could still count it on her two hands, but even that seemed like too many for her. But Sarah thrived off of the loud music and meeting strangers.

Sarah's gran had died about 6 months ago and left the apartment to her grand-daughter since Sarah's brother was now married and living in Georgia, but Sarah was still having a bit of a tough time getting over it. Maggie helped as much as she could, having lost her parents before she had time jumped. But that was years ago and losing a close relative is always hard, no matter the support your friends can give.

So Maggie had acquiesced Sarah's plea to go dancing on New Year's Eve.

They made their way to a bar, not the closest one mind you as that one didn't have the "handsome" men like this one did Sarah told Maggie.

So 30 minutes into the night and Maggie's feet were already killing her, but her friend was happy and already scoping out where they could find a seat before seeing a few women they knew.

"Oh! There's Annette and Debbie," Sarah said, grabbing a hold of Maggie's hand and winding through the crowded bar.

One they got to their friends, Maggie grabbed a chair from a nearby table that was empty and pulled it over to sit down and put her coat over the back.

Annette and Debbie were girls that Maggie and Sarah had met a few weeks ago at an informational meeting about the Army Nurse Corps that was held at the hospital that Maggie and Sarah worked at. Annette was a petite red head girl who was 19 and looked even younger, but had a personality as big as Manhattan. And Debbie was a brunette like Maggie, but her hair was a bit lighter and she had bright blue eyes and looked like a model in Maggie's mind.

"Happy New Year, ladies!" Annette said, raising a glass of beer to Maggie and Sarah. They all smiled and caught up and made plans for the next week as they were all volunteering for the Nursing Corps training that would start the next week.

Maggie told Sarah she would go get the first round of drinks for them since Annette and Debbie already had a drink and Sarah nodded, listening intensely to a story that Debbie was telling about her latest love interest.

Maggie tried to avoid bumping into contact with anyone, but that was hard in a bar this crowded. She eventually got to the bar and waved at the man behind the counter and he noticed her after her wave and started to walk to her side of the bar. She smiled and as she was about to start her order, she heard the scoff of a man next to her at the bar as he told his friend, "We've been here almost 10 minutes and the bar keep ignores me, but once a dame comes along she gets a drink in 5 seconds. Must be nice to have a chest that can get you anything you want."

Maggie tried to look at the man that commented on the service and saw that he was tall - must be if he was taller than Maggie in heels - and he had brown hair, but was facing away from the bar, looking at his friend. His friend was a small blond man that Maggie swore looked somehow familiar, but she just figured she had just seen him at the hospital or one of the other times she had been out.

She heard the blond man try to calm the brunette down, and she could've sworn he called the tall man 'Ducky.' What a nickname Maggie laughed to herself.

Seeing the bartender in front of her, she smiled again and asked for three beers and a whisky-coke, paying for the drinks quickly, she grabbed one beer and the whisky-coke and nudged the tall man that still had yet to turn around.

"Here," she said nodding toward the two beers left on the counter. "They're on me. But word to the wise, getting served has nothing to do with having breasts. If you actually try to get the bartenders attention instead of pouting and not paying attention to when he looks up, you might get served next time."

The smile on her lips for what she thought was a clever comment all but died on her lips as the tall man turned around. Maggie wasn't one to drop everything for a handsome man, but this guy was damn close.

He looked at her and then the beers, his blue eyes drifting back to her with an eyebrow up and a smirk starting and what Maggie could only think of was going to be an insult back at her.

But the man's friend saved Maggie from more embarrassment and quickly tugged his friend's sleeve and said, "Thank you, miss!"

Maggie quickly nodded and darted away just as she heard 'Ducky' saying something.

She didn't pride herself on being perfect, but Maggie did realize that her comment was probably uncalled for and probably seemed very rude to the men. Saying the word "breasts" out loud surely wasn't in the norm, and probably was vulgar. And it wasn't their fault the bar tender was ignoring them. Unless you act interested in getting a drink and trying to flag down the bar keep, it's probably more difficult, but for some reason, Maggie did feel bad. And she never talked to strangers at the bars the few times she had been with Sarah, so the entire thing seemed out of place for Maggie.

Sitting down at the table with the girls, Maggie slide the beer to Sarah who thanked her and the girls continued to talk and giggle for a while, helping Maggie almost forget about the men she met at the bar. After almost an hour, Annette was asked to dance when a swing song came on, followed by a young man coming to ask Debbie.

Sarah laughed and commented how those two always got asked to dance just before a young man walked over, bee-lining for Sarah.

"Don't think your chances are up just yet, Sarah!" Maggie laughed as Sarah's eyes got big and a huge blush came across her face.

Sarah stood and was greeted by the man and he took her gracefully out to the dance floor. Maggie laughed and finished her second whiskey of the night after Sarah had gotten them all another round a little while ago.

"Don't tell me you know how to lecture a guy and then aren't willing to dance with him." a voice from behind Maggie said. Maggie cursed her luck, knowing that the voice was that of Ducky from the bar.

Turning around and looking up, she saw him again, blue eyes looking dark as he looked down at her with a shit-eating grin on his face with his hand outstretched to her.

Maggie started to get up and put her hands up, "I'm so sorry about what I said earlier, I wasn't thinking, and it was rude and uncalled for-"

"Hey, hey, doll. You think I want an apology after a dame buys me a drink?" he asked softly, running his hand through his brown hair realizing that Maggie wasn't taking it. "Besides, you hit the nail on the head, even Stevie thought I was being an ass."

Maggie looked confused at the man, confused as to why he was here and what he was talking about. She was nervous as to what the handsome guy in front of her was saying and why he was still here.

"Steve's my friend - from the bar?" he said, thinking her confusion was about his friend.

Maggie just nodded and realized that she was out of her element and was going to call it a night.

"Okay, well, thanks then?" Maggie offered, still confused as to why one of the more handsome men in the bar was talking to her and not one of the girls that looked more like Debbie. She got up and started to move around the man.

He just laughed and moved with her in the direction of the dance floor where Sarah was dancing. "So how about it?"

Maggie saw him motion to the floor and guffawed. "Oh, no, I don't dance. Thanks, but no thanks. Sorry, I need to find my friend." And when a couple passed her, she shimmied her way through a few others to lose Ducky and then caught Sarah's arm, quickly said, "I know you'll hate me, but I'm gonna go!"

And before Sarah could answer and try to convince her friend to stay, Maggie let Sarah's partner twirl her away. Maggie looked across the floor to see Ducky still over, looking at her as if she was an enigma. She brought her right hand up and waved at him quickly before berating herself for looking so odd and pulled her hand down.

She thought about walking back to the table where her coat was, but saw that it would mean walking toward Ducky, and she had enough embarrassment for the night and figured a cool walk would clear her head.

She eased her way out of the bar, the opposite way of her coat, and quickly took off down the street, cursing her shoes as she made her way another block and turned right to go home and was already freezing from the winter cold and wind. She walked so quickly that by the time she was around the corner, she missed Ducky and his friend pop out seconds later, not seeing what way she went, holding her winter peacoat in his hand.

The smaller man jabbed his friend in the side, "Well look at that! The one dame that not only shut Bucky Barnes down, but she ran away so fast she left her coat!"

His friend laughed as they both went inside, the taller man thinking of the woman in red for most of the rest of the night and leaving the coat with the bartender.


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing but my OC. No copyright infringement is intended at all. I tried to go off of Marvel Universe for most military references, so please note that this is not historically accurate as it's in the Marvel world and timeframes might be different since the comics and movies differ slightly.

* * *

June 12, 1943:

It was two days before they would ship out and Maggie was excited but also terrified. She was glad that she had found something that she thought would be beneficial for the world, but she still worried at least once a week about being out of time and messing something in history up. But she also felt quite proud since she was following in her mom's footsteps, serving her country.

When Sarah and Maggie had shown up at the volunteer recruiting center, there were not many women volunteering, but that didn't stop them. Hearing about it at an informational session was one thing, but Maggie realized that actually being able to help might be a bit more complicated since she had no official paperwork about herself.

She was able to, with the help of Sarah, come up with a vague but convincing reason as to why she had no birth certificate. Sarah has sold most of it, talking about a house fire and losing her parents, the latter of which was true. The man signing them up didn't seem to want an emotional woman in front of him, so he gave the approval.

Maggie didn't think of herself as a good liar, and maybe she wasn't but Sarah certainly knew how to tell a fib! So with a few papers written up for her and stamps of approval, Margaret Brandy, now legally born September 1, 1920, was a member of the United States Army Nursing Corps.

It wasn't an easy decision to make, but Maggie figured she would try to help history and the war since she had no idea how to even start to find ways to get her back home. And with her now two years of training at the hospital with Sarah, she was actually going in with quite a bit of knowledge. She hadn't done everything Sarah had done as she wasn't formally trained as a nurse, but they let her assist on cases when they were swamped and needed extra hands and in times when it was slow and someone could walk her through something.

Army nurses were normally given a 4 week training to go over general military courtesy, sanitation, how to manage a ward, even map reading and how to create and use camouflage as well as some drills for physical training.

But during the second week of their training, there had been a Major that came in to their classroom and asked if there were any nurses that wanted to train for an additional 8 months to be a trial run as female medics in the Army.

They made it clear this was different than the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron that many of the nurses had heard about and it was also technically transferring out of the Nursing Corps to the Army. They said it was a test to see if women should be close to combat and relied upon as more than just nurses - but as medics. They were told there were still technicalities that were not ironed out, but they wanted to first see if women could make it through the general training as a first step. That was one reason the training was shortened compared to some medic training, but seemed to be a balance between too short like nurses training and too long of regular medics.

They would be asked to have much more physical training and more time spend with medical practice so they could run a ward or makeshift camp if ever needed as well as dig a foxhole by themselves and complete a hefty physical training, mirrored off of standard training for the army.

They asked for 10 girls, and 9 volunteered.

Annette, Debbie, Sarah, and Maggie making up almost half of the volunteers and they were then swiftly transferred to a training base in Georgia for the next 8 months. Maggie loved the physical training as she always felt exhilarated at the thought that her mother went thorough something similar when she was proving her worth as she made her way to Captain when she had been in the Army.

Maggie had actually almost slipped about it when she was talking with Sarah once after they officially completed their training. Sarah had asked why Maggie had a change in attitude once they had joined.

"You just seem happier I guess, or like, at peace with what you're doing. Not that it's something to not be proud of! But I've just noticed a change in you since we got here." Sarah said.

"I don't know. I guess it's probably because my mom was in the Ar-" Maggie stopped and coughed. She almost said he mom was a Captain in the Army. Something that wouldn't be possible for almost 70 years. "Um, she was in the armies of women that helped men when they got back after the uh, the Great War. So doing this I guess reminds me of her..."

Sarah smiled and agreed and said that Maggie's new pride looked good on her.

It was their first of two nights back in New York before they set out to be stationed so the four women had decided to go out dancing. Well, three of them decided to go dancing and Maggie was dragged along.

"Ohh, I love this song - come dance with me!" Annette said to Debbie, taking her hand and bopping along to the music as they made their way out to the dance floor.

"You'd think those two were twins the way they are so in sync." Sarah said, leaning over Maggie. "I mean, look at 'em, minus that they look nothing alike, they are the same in every other way!."

Maggie couldn't help but agree and nodded to Sarah as they looked over the two women laughing on the dance floor.

"You're quiet tonight, hun. Everything alright with you?" Sarah asked, looking at Maggie and seeing her with a far away look in her eyes. Sarah had noticed very early on in knowing Maggie that the girl got lost in her own thoughts more than she had ever seen, but she had a good heart and helped out anyone else when she could.

_It was about 6 months into Maggie's stay with Sarah when she started to lose hope that she would ever go home. Home at this point seemed like a relative term though. 2014. She was losing hope in going back to 2014. But it wasn't the worst feeling. She would have times of sadness and even cried herself to sleep on random nights. But at other times, her friendship with Sarah and being close to Gran and even having made a few friends at the hospital, Maggie actually enjoyed living in the 40s. She had her first close friend in Sarah that she hadn't had for years, and she felt happy and loved. _

_There were drawbacks sure, like the plumbing wasn't great, lack of technology made everything quiet, but it also let Maggie focus on herself and her surroundings. She read more books than she had in her entire time in high school and college combined. She could take walks in the park and eat at a cafe alone, and it didn't seem weird. In 2014, she was never "fat" in her opinion, but the lack of fast food and easily accessible junk food definitely made her eat healthier than she ever had before. And within 6 months she has lost quite a few pounds. She wasn't sure what her size change was since everything was jumbled once she got here, but she figured that she was no longer a 12 and probably closer to an 8. _

_The clothing was something that Maggie got used to, covering more skin and wearing tights with most outfits. She even got used to attempting to do her hair in something other than a ponytail or sloppy bun. She had mastered french braiding her hair and getting it into a tight bun that didn't leave strands out even though Sarah insisted on curling her hair and styling it much to poofy and big for Maggie's liking. _

_But on the whole, Maggie was happy. And that scared her the most. 6 months in a new place, a new time, and she wasn't terrified. She was happier here than she had been in 2014. As much as she thought about going back, she wasn't sure what would be there if she even got there. _

_She found herself wondering what life was like back in 2014. If anyone missed her - maybe Tony? But who else was close enough to really miss her? Or what had happened to her apartment and her things. But in thinking of these "what-ifs", then she would help someone at the hospital or Gran would crack a funny joke and Maggie realized that she found her happiest self that she could remember in the 1940s. Who would have thought. _

"What?" Maggie said clearing the thoughts from her head and trying to focus on the present - or at least, her current present. "Sorry, I didn't hear what you said."

Sarah laughed, "Yeah, I know you didn't, hun. So how about we join those crazy fools hmm?"

Motioning to their two friends, still giggling and dancing with each other, not at all phased that they were the only couple that didn't have a man and woman paired up. Maggie shook her head, "No, that's okay. You can, I think I'm gonna take off and go for a walk. See the sights at night a bit."

Sarah looked at Maggie and squinted at her, "This isn't to avoid dancing is it? We taught you all the dances we knew after your impromptu New Years ditching this year, so you can't say you don't know..."

"No Sarah, I promise! I just want to explore a bit. We only have two days here and tomorrow will be busy, so I want to get it in now. Besides, how often can you see 'Modern Marvels'?" Maggie said, already getting up and finishing her drink as she set it on the counter to head out to the event. "But really, go! Have fun. I'll see you all later tonight!"

Sarah was about to argue and tell Maggie she should stay and enjoy the night life in the bar with them, but Maggie was already halfway to the door.

As she stepped out into the brisk night, Maggie took a deep breath. While she honestly loved Sarah, their ideas of a good time often were very different. Where Sarah loved to dance, be loud, and make new friends everywhere she went, Maggie was still Maggie. Quiet, somewhat reserved, and definitely did not do well at small talk with strangers. She could banter with the best of them, but doing so made her insides curdle. Small talk was always pointless in her mind and although she could talk about the weather, sports, and whatever else people brought up, she'd avoid if it possible.

Sarah was like the sister Maggie never had. She was about 3 years older than Maggie and Sarah joked that was why she looked out for her and pushed her to do things she didn't always want to. "That's what older siblings do!"

They had a silent understanding about Maggie's past. Maggie had shared a bit, like her parents deaths with just a few details, like that they had died when Maggie was 16 and she was on her own since then. But other than that, Maggie left it alone and so did Sarah. Maggie trusted Sarah, but knew that telling her about what really had happened and where she was from was too risky.

The Stark Expo was happening in New York since the World's Fair was cancelled. Maggie was resistant at first when Sarah and their friends talked about going while they had free days. But after consideration, she figured she could go and enjoy herself. It wasn't like the event that her mom had gone to. It was 1943 and no one in a robot suit would be there.

Maggie made her way through the Modern Marvel pavilion, where they had decided to go for their last two nights in New York. There were a few rides near the end of the pavilion and random sites and tents throughout that had "marvels" in them. It seemed more like a science fair, but it was fun. It also somewhat reminded Maggie of home and the State Fair in Minnesota. She hadn't been in years even before her time jump, but it was the same loud, greasy smelling type of place, so Maggie walked along.

Noticing a large tent it said "Flying Car - Tomorrow Night!" Maggie chuckled and noted that if they got off their shifts early enough, she should come and watch whatever that attempt at futuristic technology was going to be. She doubted they could imagine what the expos looked like 70 years from then.

Wandering around, Maggie stopped by a booth and ordered a box of popcorn. After paying the kid across the counter, she continued to take in the sights and smells.

Maggie hadn't really found anything that fully reminded her of her old home. If she closed her eyes, there was enough chaotic noise, smells of popcorn and fried foods, and an overall ambiance that should have felt like home when she would go to the State Fair with her parents. But it didn't feel the same. It wasn't like home.

Maggie wasn't exactly sure what home was anymore. She had lived in New York for almost 6 years now between the time changes, and she hadn't been back to Minnesota since she left for school. So even though "home" seemed a bit aloof, she was sure it wasn't here. It was closer here than before the time jump, but still didn't seemed to quite fit.

As she finished her popcorn, Maggie walked back and caught a taxi to the temporary barracks that the nurses were staying in near the port. She saw, not surprisingly, that her bunk mates weren't back yet, so she changed out of her clothes, and got into her cot.

* * *

The next day went by relatively uneventful. Between the physicals and vaccinations, Maggie had to deal with the occasional flirting from cocky soldiers or calming down a few men that had avoided vaccinations up until that point. For men going off to war, they could be real babies when it came to needles.

Maggie just took it all in stride and by 5pm, she had finished her list of men and helped Sarah with her final few patients.

As the women hurried back to the showers, they got cleaned up and changed in record time, knowing it was their last night out before shipping across seas.

Sarah checked herself out in the mirror - or at least as much that was possible with the small 2 foot mirror above the communal sinks. Maggie just laughed, "My God, Sarah, if every man tonight doesn't ask you to dance I don't know if I believe in love anymore."

Sarah winked at Maggie before sighing and turning to face her friend. "Now, hun, how many times have I shown you how to pin up that hair?"

Maggie frowned and moved so she could see her face in the mirror. With a bit of dark eyeliner on, her brown eyes looked more pronounced than normal, and she had a dash of lipstick on courtesy of being forced by Sarah, but her hair was in a low braid, with a slight part and small wisps from her long bangs tucked behind her ears.

"What's wrong with my hair?" she asked.

Sarah just moved Maggie away from the mirror and batted her hands down. "'What's wrong with my hair?' she asks - oh hun, what am I gonna do with you!"

Sarah laughed to herself as she took Maggie's hair our of the braid and twirled her fingers around her hair. "If you aren't gonna pin it up nice, you gotta let it down like this. Looks nice with the uniform even."

Maggie scowled at Sarah as she winked again at her friend and blew her a kiss. They both looked in the mirror. Each looking at Sarah's handiwork in the mirror. While it did look nice and Maggie had no idea how Sarah did it with no product or blow dryer (two things Maggie actually missed), Maggie signed. "It's not regulation..."

Sarah guffawed and grabbed Maggie to pull her out of the bathroom and make their way to the Modern Marvel pavilion across town.

* * *

Maggie was able to convince Sarah and Debbie to come with her to see the flying car that she had seen advertised the night before. But as they walked toward the stage, Debbie pointed out a few men in uniform that were walking their way and grabbed Sarah and Maggie.

"Those are the guys from last night! C'mon, they're swell, we can fight over who gets who!" Debbie giggled as Sarah rolled her eyes and went along. But Maggie looked back at the stage and then at the men that were checking out her friends and seemingly had no interest in her.

"You guys go on, I'll find you later!" Maggie promised, not letting Sarah get a word in as she took off to the stage.

Maggie walked by a few people, some on dates, and some just enjoying the sites like her. She stood farther back, smoothed her uniform. While they had been given leave to wear civilian clothes, most of them opted for uniforms as they thought it made them stand out more against the other girls vying for the attention of the soldiers. They weren't nurses uniforms, but army regulation, so it made them stand out. Maggie just liked keeping the uniform on because since her time jump (as she was referring to in her head), she never ended up buying a large wardrobe or a lot of personal items since most of her money rent to rent and groceries to split with Sarah, and not feeling right to spend much on herself.

Staying in the back, she figured if it was interesting, she could still see everything, but if it was a flop, she could get out fast.

It was then that a group pushed past her, knocking her shoulder as they ran by Maggie, two girls almost yelling "It's starting!" without a regard to the woman they just bumped into. A soldier - a Sergeant, Maggie noted - quickly followed them and gave Maggie a quick shrug as if to half apologize for the behavior of his dates. Two dates? Maybe that was right?

Maggie shook her head and then saw a second man follow his friend, but with much less enthusiasm. Maggie shrugged the girls off as rude and the Sergeant as much too.

Focusing on the stage, she heard the announcer, "Ladies and gentleman, Mr. Howard Stark!"

Maggie almost tripped and she wasn't even walking. Stark? Howard Stark as in Tony's father? He was actually here?

He looked so much like Tony that Maggie thought it was somehow the same person with a mustache instead of a goatee.

There was no way it was him. As Maggie tried to focus on the man, she realized that while from the distance, it looked like the owner of Stark Industries, there were subtle differences between the man here and the man she met for the first time almost 6 years ago.

Howard Stark started talking on stage about cars with no wheels or something like that as Maggie stood like a fish out of water, her mouth gaping open and eyes wide. If that was Tony's dad, and he was a scientist, maybe he would know abou-

"Oouff" came involuntarily out of Maggie's mouth as a man - the same man that had trailed behind the rude group almost ran Maggie over.

"So sorry ma'am," the shorter blond man said, looking at her in the eyes as he said it.

"Oh, that's o-" she started to say before he walked away before she could finish. "kay."

She could've _sworn_ she knew the blond man from somewhere, but wasn't able to place him. But she shook it off and figured there was no on in the 1940's that Maggie would know. She studied history in college, but modern U.S. history was never her forte.

Looking back at the stage, she realized that the "flying car" had burned out and Howard Stark was no where to be seen. But seeing this as one of her only chances to at least try and learn if one of the leading scientists of history had ever heard of time travel, now was her only chance.

Winding her way through the crowds, Maggie pushed her way past a few people and saw a tent that was pushed against the main stage. Seeing no one over there, she made her way and walked through. She had apparently found her way to the changing room of the show girls that Howard Stark had on stage with him, but then saw her target.

With a few "excuse me's" and tiptoeing over some clothes, Maggie stopped right in front of Howard who seemed to be schmoozing some rich older man and his much younger wife. The man and woman stopped talking and looked to Maggie, as if expecting her to announce herself. But she didn't have words. Between nerves about her questions and seeing him in person - goodness, he looked like Tony! Or rather, Tony looked like him.

Howard Stark realized his two person audience was not captivated by him, but staring over his shoulder, so he turned to see a woman. She was almost his height and in a nurses uniform just standing and staring at him.

"Sorry doll, no autographs right now." And started to turn away.

Maggie, not wanting to lose the opportunity, especially if this was her only time to speak with him moved with Howard and stood her ground. "Excuse me Mr. Stark, but I'm a big fan, and I just have one question, I don't need you to sign anything."

Seeing that the nurse in front of him wasn't going away, he turned on the charm.

"Alright, doll, but just because you look so good in that uniform, whadda got for me?" He oozed charm and while Maggie might've scoffed in his face, she needed him.

Smiling back, "What do you know about time travel?"

The blunt question threw Stark a bit as his smile faltered. Quickly catching himself, "Time travel, doll, huh? Well, no one really knows much about it, but there are some theories out there. Why the interest?"

Maggie balked and looked at the couple, now seemingly very impatient that some random woman was talking with Mr. Stark instead of them.

"I... Well you see..." Maggie tried to start.

Howard, ever the gentleman, smiled and nodded and signaled for a body man to come and escort the young woman away, obviously thinking she was too star struck. "It's alright honey, it's a hard concept."

Feeling a large hand on her arm, she tried to shrug it off and interrupted Howard once more. "No, please. I just have a few more questions." Thinking on her feet she followed with, "I was a student studying... science before I enlisted, please I just have a few questions."

Not sure if he would buy it - Maggie knew she wouldn't - she smiled and batted her eyes like Sarah did when she wanted something from Maggie and tried it on Howard.

Apparently giving into female charm, he waved the man behind Maggie off and told the couple he would be a few moments.

Ushering Maggie a few feet away, he crossed his arms, "Okay. One minute. Go."

Maggie started again, "Okay, so I get that there are theories, but like, what about actual time travel. Like, moving decades in time. Is that possible? Not possible, and how can you do it?"

"Well what makes you think it's possible sweetheart? Yes, it's a theory, but that's all it is. There isn't a way to just go through time and change the fabric of the universe. It's a lot more complicated than what I'm sure you've read about" Howard said, almost condescendingly.

Maggie nodded, trying to not push it, but desperately wanting answers. "Yes, I mean, that makes sense, but what if someone did. Like, what if they went through time? All of the theories aside, what it they went through the fabric of the world?"

"Fabric of _time_." Howard corrected as he squinted at her. "Okay, say it happens. But to do that, you would have to have some kind of coordinate to figure out where you are, where you're going, and who knows if there is a way to reverse it. Just thinking about the frailness of something like that would also need a device or portal that could only be opened by a lot of energy, and by a lot of energy, you'd need maybe-"

"A seismic level explosion?" Maggie offered, words from the books she had read that mentioned the outer realms of possibility ringing in her head right before her jump.

Howard stopped and stared at Maggie. "Well, yes, maybe something like that. Say, where'd you say you were a student?"

Maggie frowned, "I didn't, I was just curious. But you said if you go one way, you might not be able to go back? What if you didn't have the knowledge of controlling the thing to send you through time, but..."

Tony sighed, "I mean, you'd need a similar energy to get back, but to go through the veils of time at the exact time from before, that seems even more impossible than time travel in the first place. And even then, there are theories that time travel isn't even really changing things in the past, it's like it was all meant to be, and therefore it's not really possible because there would be no place to leave or go to that is actually different in the shift in time and space."

Maggie's eyes went down, not exactly what she wanted to hear and it was getting more confusing.

"Hey, don't look so sad doll, you're in the greatest time there is. We're in the heyday of technology, maybe someday while you're alive you'll see time travel become a thing of every day life."

Maggie just shook her head, sighed, and mumbled something about she wished.

Howard frowned and started to think there was more to the conversation with the strange science student turned nurse. "Where you at Brown? Harvard? Cornell? I know most of the professors that have studied the time continuum and none of them are studying actual time and space shifts."

Maggie looked up, "Um, yep - there. I gotta go. Thanks for helping, well sort of."

Trying to make a quick exit now that Howard Stark seemed far too interested in the conversation Maggie took off back out of the tent the way she came.

"Hey! Stop that girl" She heard Howard yell after her.

There were too many women now changing into new outfits that Maggie was able to duck out of the tent and start toward a large group of people, a few of whom were also in uniforms.

She made her way a hundred yards away before she dared looked back. No one was following her and she thanked her lucky stars. Not that he could prove anything, but she didn't want to be put away in a looney bin in the 1940s for thinking time travel was a real thing. She wasn't sure why she had even tried talking to him, but in the last few years, she was trying to decide if she was alright being stuck in the past or if there was a way to go back would she? Her friendship with Sarah was something she never had back before, and it wasn't like she had many friends and any family to go back to.

She started to turn back to leave when someone walked into her and she fell sideways onto her knees.

"Dammit, Sarah's gonna kill me" Maggie muttered seeing the borrowed tights ripped at both knees with a bit of blood coming from her left knee.

"Oh, sorry about that, sweetheart." A hand reached down and Maggie looked up. Of all the people there, it was the jerk that had already knocked into her earlier with the two annoying girls!

She swatted his hand away and pushed herself up. "It's Lieutenant to you, _Sergeant_." Maggie, almost more embarrassed about falling tried to stay tough. "Just watch where you're going next time."

As she dusted herself off, she looked the man in the eyes and the look in his eyes went from shock to a small smirk. "Yes, Ma'am." As he tilted his hat, Maggie took off walking away, ready to put the night behind her, her head racing as she just _knew_ that she had met this man somewhere before. Had she seen him before? Oh lord, that was Ducky! From last New Years!

Not liking the small blush that came on her face when he smiled at her, Maggie cursed Sergeant Ducky under her breathe once more for good measure before walking off and hailing a cab to leave the pavilion.

That was a much more exciting night than she had wanted and she wasn't about to wander around more to find her friends. It was an early morning any way with ship out time at 0700 anyway. So getting to the barracks early sounded much better than anything else the pavilion might hold.


	5. Chapter 5

I own nothing but my OC. No copyright infringement is intended at all. I tried to go off of Marvel Universe for most military references, so please note that this is not historically accurate as it's in the Marvel world, so slightly AU.

* * *

The boat had left port almost 5 hours ago and Maggie knew it was going to be a rough ride.

Once they left the port, within the first hour, Maggie had been assigned to help with the medical bay as there were quite a few men that were already getting sea sick.

The trip was supposed to be 5-6 days and if the first morning was anything to go by, Maggie would see too much vomit for anyone's lifetime.

Maggie and Sarah were assigned to report to the same doctor, George Newton. Newton was probably in his 50's and was already giving Maggie and Sarah a hard time.

He had said that dealing with sea sickness was a nurses job, and even though Sarah had tried to interrupt and remind him that they were not nurses, but technically medics, Newton wouldn't hear of it.

"You might get the gold bar on your collar and have the title of Lieutenant when the men talk with you, but as long as your report to me, you are designated as my nurses." He scowled, running his hands through his greasy black hair. "Now you two should get started on cleaning up the med bay since it already has sick all over it. I'm off to meet with the Captain to talk about this trip and plans for when we land."

With that, Newton stomped away. Sarah had some less than lady-like words to describe him as he walked away and Maggie laughed at her normally proper-speaking friend.

"Yea, well he might call us nurse, but we earned being medics and he can't stop us from doing our jobs once we dock." Maggie added, trying to distract Sarah from getting too riled up, knowing that an angry Sarah was a loud Sarah. As much as Maggie loved her friend, her voice would get quite shrill when she was mad.

The women got to work and eventually got the sick men fluids and sea sickness pills that apparently hadn't made it to all of the soldiers before they had gotten on the ship.

Maggie had offered to clean and scrub the buckets that had gotten tipped over while Sarah calmed down and worked with the 10 men that had been in the sick bay.

At hour 10, there were just 2 men that seemed a bit dehydrated that were still in the bay, and Sarah had given one of the privates that was sick a box of sea sickness pills and told him to hand them out to the men in his unit and any others he could find that hadn't yet had any.

_Two days later:_

Laying on one of the cots, Maggie sighed. "If getting off this ship means we finally get real showers and can stop treating some of these babies and dummies that can't take a damn sea sickness pill, I'll be happy."

Sarah laughed and looked over at the two sleeping men that were still there. "Yea, they are kind of pathetic, aren't they. But that one Private was cute. The one with the the mole right there." Sarah said motioning to the side of her face.

"You mean the one that was like, half a foot shorter than me?" Maggie asked.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Well not all of us think about how tall someone is when we see if they're handsome or not."

Maggie sighed and started to arrange the medicine cabinet in the back. "Yea, well, it's a good think I'm not looking for anything anyway. We're here on a trial basis and I don't want to mess anything up by getting involved with a subordinate. And since most the men are privates, technicians, and Sergeants, I think we are out of luck."

Sarah looked at her friend and squinted, "So, if there was a Lieutenant, you might be interested?"

Maggie laughed, "I think you're missing my point."

"Oh no, I have your point on the dot." Sarah said giggling and got up to try and twirl Maggie around, "You just need a tall, handsome man that meets your rank."

With a wink, Sarah attempted to dip Maggie and just as she did, the sick bay door flew open and three men came in, one in the middle being supported by the other two.

In her shock, Sarah dropped her friend and let her fall with an UMPF.

"What happened?" Sarah asked quickly, ushering the the men to a close cot to have the man in the middle sit down.

Maggie pulled herself from the floor and came over to and saw that the middle man was bleeding from his head. She knew it probably wasn't serious as head injuries normally bleed a lot, but he did look disoriented and that was concerning.

The two men with him explained that he had gotten into a fight with another regiment, but that when they actually threw a punch, he had taken the punch and fallen back and hit his head on one of the metal bunks.

Sarah took over checking out the patient, Private Wilson, so Maggie checked with the other two men about the other solider in the fight and to check on them.

"Oh no ma'am, they were the only two. Something about cheating in a card game." A tall Sergeant wearing a bowler hat told Maggie and shook his head. "But I don't think Tommy here even got a punch in."

"That and Tommy wouldn't be able to cheat if his life depended on it." a private told her, then looked at his Sergeant. "What? You know he would never keep a straight face."

Maggie smiled and thanked the men for getting him here so quickly. "We'll check him out for a concussion, but since he's talking with Sarah, I think he'll be okay since he seems coherent."

The large Sergeant nodded at the private, "You go back, make sure the men are settled, I'll wait here a bit with McKellen and make sure he's good to go like Lieutenant..."

"Brady. Lieutenant Margaret Brady." she said quickly, holding out her hand. The Sergeant shook it and then nodded to his private to take off, which he did.

"I'm Sergeant Dugan, but you can call me Dum Dum. All the men do." he said, a large smile on his face, making the mustache on his face dance a little.

"Well in that case you can call me Maggie." Maggie said, smiling up at the man. He glanced over to the private again, seemingly worried about the young man. "You can go over and get the diagnosis from Lieutenant Moss if you want?"

Dum Dum smiled and nodded, and made his way over to Sarah, sparking a conversation and getting an update on Private McKellen.

Sarah made her way back to the cabinet where she continued organizing the supplies as Sarah finished up with the two men. She put a small bandage on McKellen's head and gave them directions about keeping him awake and coming back if anything seemed off. She would have liked to keep him over night, but McKellen seemed determined to get back to the barracks in the main area as he said he didn't want the men to think he was weak. Dum Dum and Sarah both tried to tell him that they wouldn't think that, but Sarah let him go anyway.

Waving goodbye as the men left Maggie and Sarah decided it was about time for lunch and headed to the mess area to try and get something to bring back.

* * *

The rest of the trip to England wasn't eventful, so after almost 6 straight days at sea, Maggie was more than pleasantly relieved to learn that they would have a 2 day stop and then go on to the Italian Front.

2 days of rest meant getting off of the very crowded and now very smelly ship and staying at a training facility just outside of Dover, the coastal city they had ported near.

Most of the men were set up in houses of local residents, but placing women seemed more complicated than the Army had thought. Maggie still couldn't understand why they thought it was complicated to house females in residential houses, but didn't mind the privacy the training facility gave the women.

So Maggie and Sarah and a slew of nurses that had occasionally helped out in the sick bay during the trip were stationed in temporary barracks that consisted of a cot for each woman and a small create, presumably for their personal items and clothing.

"Jeez, they know how to pull all of the stops out for us, don't they?" A nurse named Katherine joked.

"Yea, but better this and no nosey old people poking around." Sarah said, laying out on her cot.

Maggie kicked her friend's cot as she took a seat on the one next to her. "Oh stop, those people are being very kind to let the soldiers into their home for little more than nothing to keep them fed and warm until we leave."

Sarah scowled over at Maggie, "Margaret Brady, what am I gonna do with you? Always seeing the best in people and making me feel guilty."

Maggie shook her head and leaned back on to her cot. It had been an ongoing joke of Sarah's, almost since they had met, that Maggie was too nice, too kind, too whatever Sarah decided to say and call out Maggie for making her feel guilty. Maggie thought it was funny at first, but every now and then she felt a bit put out since she hoped her friend really didn't think of her as a saint and feel guilty. Maggie might talk a lot about being nice, but she didn't always feel it.

Even since coming back in time, she felt awful for lying to basically everyone she met.

From Sarah to Gran, bless her soul, to the nurses here, the Army, her co-workers and friends at the hospital, she had always felt bad about her lies. She was able to play some of it off as amnesia from her "accident", but she was pretty sure that deep down, Sarah knew she was hiding something, but she never asked about it.

They had docked and gotten to the barrack around 5pm local time, and since being in the belly of a ship for 6 odd days played games with your mind about what was night time and day time, 5pm sounded like a fine time to Maggie.

Maggie was also excited that now they were on land, the nurses (and medics since that is what Maggie insisted she was trained to be) were able to wear their training gear or active gear, meaning no skirts or heels. They could wear the regulation assigned nurse dresses OR the Army issued pants, shirt, and jacket that the men wore. Since they were trained as combat medics, they had been given the freedom to wear what they thought was best to treat the men in. And Maggie convinced Sarah the pants were better. Especially when Maggie mentioned how near impossible it would be to walk around and treat soldiers if it was raining and muddy and you had a pair of heels on.

After lounging for a bit, the 6 women that were there walked over to the mess hall that was what looked like an old barn transformed to fit a bunch of wooden tables and some stove-tops and ovens in the back.

It seemed like about half of the men were at the mess hall getting food, the other half either getting dinner from their home-stay family or already in bed asleep.

Maggie and Sarah split off from the 4 other female medics, they had bonded well enough on the trip over the Atlantic, but the others were assigned to the hospital in Gela, where they would land, and Maggie and Sarah were assigned to help with the field hospital that would move with the 107th and provide support for the 88th (which apparently had a few nurses and doctors they would work with when needed).

The meal on her food tray looked more like rubber and white mud, but it was supposedly chicken and mashed potatoes. As long as no one threw it up in front of her to ruin her appetite, Maggie thought the meal would be good enough.

Claiming a spot near an open side door to get an evening breeze, Sarah and Maggie sat and in silence, ate their food.

That was one thing about Sarah Maggie enjoyed. As much as Sarah was outgoing and loved to make new friends, she had times when quiet was needed. That and Maggie figured Sarah was quite hungry and tired. So the combo of everything worked in Maggie's favor.

They were both almost done when they heard a loud voice boom behind them.

"Well hello Lieutenant Moss, Maggie! How are you both this fine evening?"

Sarah smiled wide and waved Dum Dum over to sit near her. "Doing just grand Sergeant Dugan, yourself?"

Dum Dum plopped down beside Sarah and smiled at Maggie. He was followed by three men, one of whom sat next to Maggie and the other two next to the new man and Dum Dum.

"You know I have to say I'm doing well now that I'm off that damn ship," Dum Dum replied. "Not that I don't love being packed like sardines with a bunch of men with pent up energy."

Sarah and Maggie laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Lieutenants, if you don't mind if I introduce a few of the finest men, besides myself, in the 107th." He gave Maggie a wink with that, "This is Sergeant Luke Hernandez, Private Don Mucker, and Sergeant James Barnes, but the boys call him Bucky." Dum Dum said, nodding at each man in turn while Sarah and Maggie followed his introduction with a head nod of their own in acknowledgement.

Maggie's smile almost fell off her face when she made eye contact with the Sergeant Barnes. _Bucky_. Those eyes and that almost shit-eating grin.

And then it hit her, just as the men were saying their own hellos. She knew Sergeant Barnes and hoped that he didn't recognize her. Maybe he wouldn't. She was in a bright dress when she had been at the bar and had her makeup and hair done. But at the exhibit when he knocked her down, that was less than a week ago. But it was dark then, right? There was a chance he didn't recognize her at all, right? Then again, when she had seen him almost a week ago and scolded him then too!

Maggie looked at her mashed potatoes like they were the most interesting thing in the room and had to look up when she felt a kick under the table that was aimed and hit right on her shin.

"What?" She all but growled at Sarah.

Sarah smiled sweetly, "Sergeant Barnes asked you a question Maggie." And then motioned her head to the man sitting right next to her.

Maggie looked and acted apologetic. "So sorry Sergeant, I missed what you said."

Sergeant Barnes smiled and looked at Sarah and then back to Maggie. "I just asked if you were enjoying your time here _Lieutenant_. But I guess I should've made sure you were paying attention before I asked, I've was told once by a dame in a bar I need to do that when trying to talk to someone..."

Maggie gulped. Yep, this was definitely the same guy that Maggie had called out at the bar a few months ago for not waiting until the bartender was paying attention to him to get an order in and the very same from just a few nights ago. And apparently he remembered her too.

"I um, well, yes. Enjoying my time as much as I can since we've been here all but two hours." Maggie said back quickly, earning another attempted kick under the table from her friend. "But you know, I really should go and clean up. Gotta rest up before we ship out."

Sarah tried to stop Maggie, but as Maggie gave a one handed wave to the 5 people at the table, she tried to grab her tray with her coffee still on the tray, half full, and stepped out of the picnic-like tables.

Fate didn't have her back as she felt herself start to tip backwards as she lost her balance.

She felt two hands grab her, one around her waist and the other on her right arm, steadying the tray as much as possible, but it didn't stop the coffee from spilling right onto her shirt.

"Son of a bitch!" Maggie said, frustrated and shocked at the coffee as is landed on her. Luckily like most food and drink they were served it wasn't very hot. She heard a few muffled chuckles, from the coffee spilling or her language, she wasn't sure.

Then she looked to see who caught her.

Of course it was Sergeant Barnes. His face was very close to hers as they stood. Him holding her waist with his arm supporting her back and his other hand slowing sliding to her right wrist.

"Doll, I don't think my mother would appreciate being called that, even by a pretty dame like you." The clever Sergeant said quietly, but still loud enough for the table to hear. Dum Dum and Sarah chuckled and even Hernandez and Mucker couldn't hold their smiles. Maggie felt her face flush and blinked at him.

Maggie, wishing to be anywhere but here right now. Hell, she would take the sick bay covered in puke like the first 4 hours on the ship over this. And she just stared at him before she came to her senses.

Maggie huffed and pulled her right arm away from the Sergeant and then took two large steps over the bench, reached down and grabbed the plastic coffee cup that was now on the ground. She looked right at Barnes and just said "It's Ma'am or Lieutenant to you, Sergeant. I'm not a damn doll."

And then walked away, trying to keep her head high.

She wasn't even 6 feet away when she heard Dum Dum and Sarah bark with laughter and Sarah say, "For the little amount of words she does say, a good amount of them are cusses."

Maggie dumped her tray and hurried back to the barracks, eager to shower and wash the day and her most recent interactions with the infuriating Sergeant away. But as she walked across the field, she couldn't help but feel her wrist where James Barnes had caught her. It still felt warm, but Maggie told herself it was just the June heat.

* * *

_Three weeks later, July 3, 1943:_

The 107th was now firmly in Italy. The regiment was making to push the line and further take over the Italian country side and they were making good headway as they progressed the last couple of weeks.

Maggie and Sarah had helped Dr. Newton set up the field hospital, and a few nurses and medics from the 88th. Newton had also started be warm to Sarah and Maggie, seeing that they did have a background in medicine and were well versed on protocol as well as how to aid and heal. Maggie and Sarah thanked their extra training on knowing more military protocol as Newton was strict with rules and it helped that they understood most of what he ordered.

Newton had entrusted Sarah with running a tight ship on the ground as he said he would have to deal with major surgeries and would leave most post-op follow up to Sarah and Maggie if he couldn't get to it.

It seemed a bit conceited when he first said it, but after their first real battle, Maggie completely understood why he told them that up front, because it was complete and utter chaos when the first shells hit the 107th.

* * *

_Two weeks prior:_ June 19, 1943:

Maggie had just finished re-wrapping some bandages in one of the supply tents when she heard a whistle.

She thought it was odd as it was loud, but sounded like it was still far away. And then she heard it. An explosion. Not too close to the hospital, but probably 10 miles away. Where the 107th was currently sitting.

_She had made rounds with the soldiers at the line the last week after they had gotten through the southern part of Italy. Trying to keep the men hydrated was a feat of itself, but many of them listened and when they would see Maggie's helmet pop over their trench or foxhole, most men immediately told her they were drinking water. _

_She would smile and nod, and then ask anyone if they needed socks, bandages, or had anything that needed looking at. _

_Most men waved her off, but she got quite good at getting soldiers to rat on eat other, telling her what friend hadn't changed his socks in 3 days, or who had mentioned that their pee was a weird color or smell. Chocolate and coffee were great influences when getting the men to tell her their friends ailments. Some men blushed or flat out tried to refuse conversation surrounding themselves and body parts with Maggie, but she did her damnedest to guilt them or somewhat threaten them if they didn't comply._

_"Now you listen here Private Griggs. I didn't come over here to have an argument with a toddler. Either you fess up and let me know if you haven't had a bowel movement in 3 days or you can go talk Dr. Newton and he can give you a rectal exam to clear you out. Up to you." Maggie glared at the private across from her. Apparently Dum Dum had taken to sending the men back to the field hospital when he heard of issues, especially when it was quiet. He figured it was better to have healthy men at the front and send the ones that weren't to the back. And he didn't like that Maggie just wandered around the front to help them men. So if he sent them to her, she would be back and the medics on the front could deal with a little trench-foot it that came up._

_Maggie didn't like what he was doing, but she understood it. The training she had been through taught her how treat wounds under pressure, use hand to hand combat, and even run obstacle courses like most of the men in the service, but she was labeled a nurse in the men's eyes. _

_As a Lieutenant rank, she was not considered a field medic. One way that Maggie was convinced they never wanted women to be medics in the first place. It gave them a perfect catch-22 of being trained and given nurse ranks of Lieutenant, but in doing so made them ranked too high to actually be field medics. _

_Staring at the petrified man, more like boy, in front of her, he just nodded. _

_"What does that mean, Private Griggs?" Maggie asked, trying to soften her voice. "Have you had a bowel movement in the last three days?"_

_He shook his head, looking over his shoulder at the two other soldiers in there, probably for the same reason he was. _

_"There, now was that so hard?" Maggie asked, walking over to a pitcher and pouring a cup. "I need you to drink this and keep up on drinking water. If you don't have a movement in the next 24 hours, you'll need to come back and we'll try something else. You two here for the same thing?"_

_The two other men nodded, not speaking a word. "Well then, come on. There's enough for all of you."_

_The men stepped forward and Maggie noticed Sarah and Dum Dum in the doorway of the tent whispering to each other and smirking at Maggie._

_But before she could walk over and ask what they were whispering about, she was interrupted by the first private. "But Ma'am, this is just coffee..."_

_Maggie smiled. "Yep, but my own special brew. Should have you feeling like normal in no time." She didn't tell them there were some laxatives in there too. _

_With that, the three men looked into their cups, back at Maggie, and then hustled out the door._

_Maggie just rolled her neck and shoulders and walked to the door way, walking out to see Sarah and Dugan, still close._

_Dum Dum looked over, "Man, I tell you what LT, I don't wanna be on the end of your ire."_

_"What ire?" Maggie asked, "I wasn't mean to them... Was I?"_

_Sarah just laughed and gave Maggie a half hug. "No, those boys are just too scared of a woman that knows what she's doing. Isn't that right Dum Dum?"_

_Dugan winked at Sarah and just said, "Of course, ma'am."_

_With that, he walked away, leaving Sarah and Maggie to work on a few reports that were due each week with updates on injuries, medical supplies used and what was still in stock. _

The explosion sounded too real. While they had been in Italy, hell, even during her training, Maggie was used to the rounds of guns going off, the occasional grenade explosion or even artillery training with the tanks, but knowing that it was enemy fire on the men that she had gotten to know in the past few weeks scared her.

She thought this was the best decision for her. Join the Army - like her mom. Help save lives. Make a difference. If she was thrown back in time to WWII, she might as well try to save some lives while she was here.

She didn't have anyone. Well, maybe except Sarah. No one would miss Maggie if she did die here. She was a lone woman. No one to notify that she never made it back, no family to cry over her. But the men out there? They weren't like her. They were someone's brother, son, husband, fiance, or whatever they were, they had so much more hold on this world than Maggie, and she didn't like that. Her mom had saved men in her regimen. Maggie could do the same.

So she buried herself in her work. The first load of wounded men came about 1 hour after the first explosions had rang out.

Nothing was too serious, a few shrapnel wounds, but all the men should heal quickly and maybe even be back to the front after a few weeks on bed rest at the hospital in town.

Maggie was wrapping a final bandage around a private's leg, Private Nelson, Maggie thought, when she heard Dr. Newton yell for her.

"You'll be fine here, Private, alright. You need anything, just holler." Maggie told the young man in from of her before leaving his cot.

Maggie ran out of the med tent and saw why Dr. Newton yelled. Two men were in the back of the truck, one missing what looked like he was missing both legs and screaming bloody murder and the other had either taken a shot in the face or shrapnel, and either way, it didn't look good.

Sarah ran out and helped Newton load the first man onto a stretcher and carry him into the main med tent, where they tried to treat the more serious injuries.

Maggie ran up to the truck and ordered the driver to help her get the other man onto the second stretcher and carry him in with her. As she grabbed is arms and pulled him down, he wailed out and cried for his mother.

"It's alright solider, I've got you, alright." Maggie tried to say to calm him down. "You're gonna be okay, alright? We'll fix you right up."

As she said those words, she noticed that not only was almost half of his face seemingly gone and now a bloody mess, but he also had what looked like two bullet wounds in his chest, very close to his heart.

"Okay, solider, now what's your name?" Maggie asked as she walked backwards into the tent and her and the driver carefully lowered the man onto the table.

"Dunc... Duncan." The soldier said, spraying blood out of his mouth as he said it.

There was so much blood. Too much blood Maggie feared as he fingers moved about his chest, trying to find the source of the bleeding.

"Alright Duncan, we're gonna fix you right up, okay?"

Maggie said waving Newton over who had helped Sarah cauterize the bleeding of the other man in the tent.

Newton looked at the man and moved the bandages that Maggie had pressed against his chest after failing to find the source of the bleeding, or rather, she had found too many plus a gaping cavity in his chest now covered by the already soaked bandage.

"Brady," Newton started. He had taken to calling her Maggie and using Sarah's name when they weren't in front of the other soldiers, creating a stronger bond between the three. "It's hit the coronary. He's already bled out over.. at least half his blood supply. I've got to help Moss."

Maggie couldn't believe what he said. He was giving up on Duncan?! Well she wasn't giving up. No. She had read that even with a severe amount of blood loss, if you can stop the bleeding and get an infusion right away, there was a chance.

"Duncan, can you hear me?" Maggie asked, leaning over the man in front of her. He looked like he couldn't have been over the age of 18. Half of his face gone and tears in his remaining eye.

"Ye.. Yes, ma'am." as he chocked again on the blood and bile in his mouth.

"You call me Maggie, okay Duncan." Maggie whispered to the man. "I'm gonna fix you up okay?"

He just nodded and then laid his head back against the table.

Trying to continue to press on his chest, she removed the bandages again and tried to see where the bleeding was. If she could just get the main artery pinched off...

"I need a transfusion here!" Maggie yelled, trying to get the attention of a nurse or another assistant that was in the tent, but she didn't see anyone come. "This man needs help! God dammit! Someone get over here with a damn IV bag and a transfusion!"

Maggie looked back at Duncan's face. He was still. His remaining eye was still open, looking like it was still filled with a tear yet to drop. But he didn't move. "Duncan, can you hear me? Private, c'mon, answer me."

Maggie didn't feel the arms grabbing her and making her take steps away from the table. But then she realized she wasn't floating, but being guided away.

She turned to the person who held her and saw her friend, tears in her eyes. "Mags, c'mon, that was the last of them, let's go outside."

Maggie was confused as Sarah was blurry, and then realized she herself was crying, and just nodded. Looking over Sarah's shoulder, she saw that the fist man, the one who lost his legs was stabilized and Newton was talking with the driver and starting to load him out to get to the hospital 20 miles away.

Sarah led Maggie out of the tent.

Death.

She had dealt with death in her life plenty. She had even seen patients at the hospital in New York die in front of her, but this was different. She had found her dad dead in the car, but this was still different. This was violent.

It was war. And it was nothing like what Maggie imagined.

"Maggie?" she heard her name being called. "You alright?"

Sarah was asking Maggie a question and Maggie immediately straightened up. "Yes, um, I need to go um... I need to go wash up."

Maggie maneuvered out of Sarah's arm and walked to the back of the last tent where the showing and a clean up station were located.

She was about to wash the tears from her face when she raised her hands and saw them stained in Duncan's blood.

Duncan. He looked like he was maybe 18? Barely an adult. And he had yelled for his mother. A mother that would never hold her child again. A mother that would never speak or hug her son again. A mother that would never be able to say a true goodbye to her son.

This. This is what she is meant to stop. Maggie knew that the universe or fate, or God, or whatever the hell it was that sent her here had a purpose for sending her to this time. And all of the training and time that Maggie had put into being a medic and learning how to save lives. That is what she needs to do.

Saving boys, men like Duncan. They all meant something to others. They were sons, brothers, husbands, fathers. And Maggie would be damned if she didn't do her best to save as many of them as she could. Of course, being a medic, she trained and made vows to serve and protect, but it was somehow different.

After seeing the reality of war. What she was really in. She would protect them. Whatever the cost. They all had _someone_. And Maggie had... Well, she had Sarah. But she didn't have a _real_ family. She didn't even have a past. Sarah was her best friend, but Sarah still had her older brother, her aunts and uncles. She even had the boy that was sweet on her that she constantly ignored at the hospital in New York. So who did Maggie really have? Herself?

She shook her head and began scrubbing her hands in the basin. Washing until the pink tinge on her hands was no longer the blood of the private she didn't save, but pink from the almost raw skin that she had now.

She splashed water in her face to cool down, and try to get rid of any tear stains on her cheeks. Taking a deep breath she stood tall and walked back to the med tent.


End file.
